The South Portland Police Department arrested a potentially dangerous burglary suspect on Tuesday, following a case of mistaken identity that led to a SWAT team briefly detaining a high school student at gunpoint.
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“As a parent myself I completely understand how this incident could be very upsetting for innocent young people caught in the middle of a police action. I’m grateful to school administrators for providing resources to anyone affected by this incident. I believe our officers acted reasonably and appropriately given the circumstances and information they had at the time,” said South Portland Police Chief Daniel Ahern
A team of four Southern Maine Regional SWAT members, along with South Portland detectives and Portland police officers, arrived at 11:30 a.m. at 19 Orkney St. in Portland to execute an arrest warrant for the 19-year-old Miles Hibbard on burglary charges and to search his house for evidence of the alleged crime.
Police arrived at the residence heavily armed because Hibbard is believed to associate with people who carry and use firearms in the commission of crimes, and he was considered a potential threat.
When officers arrived, they saw a male who appeared to match Hibbard’s description exiting a vehicle and approaching 19 Orkney St. Armed officers then exited their own vehicles and ordered the male at gunpoint to stop and lie on the ground.
The Police Department explained that it is standard practice for officers to approach a suspect with guns drawn when they have reason to believe that the suspect is armed.
Police handcuffed the male, patted him down, and escorted him away from the house before determining that he was a juvenile high school student and not, in fact, Hibbard. They then released him, along with another individual they had detained who was in the car with him.
The South Portland Police Department clarified that the entire mistaken identity incident only lasted five minutes. Chief Ahern spoke to the family members of the detained individuals, and staff at the Deering High-School, where the detained minors are students. The high school is close enough to 19 Orkney St. that some students were able to witness the incident from school property.
“This was an unfortunate circumstance where two young men, who were enjoying their lunch break from Deering High School, parked their car nearly in front of a house that was about to be searched by police. One of the young men matched the description of the subject who lives in the house and was briefly detained,” said Ahern.
After the juveniles were released, law enforcement executed the search warrant but did not find Hibbard. The suspect was later arrested at his workplace in Cape Elizabeth.
