FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The man who pulled knife on a Local 10 crew was released from jail early Thursday morning.
On Tuesday night, police responded to reports of an armed man who was threatening a television news crew in the roadway in front of a home located at 2626 Delmar Place.
According to the arrest report, Local 10's Ross Palombo and photographer Shane Walker were preparing for a live shot on a public street, when the suspect, Louis Dominic Paolino III, came out of his house and began yelling at them.
The incident was all caught on camera.
Paolino was seen unplugging one of the crew's lamps and carrying it inside the gates of his home. He then went back out to the roadway and began cutting the cable to a second light. He then broke the lamp and shade attached to the light. He also used a knife to damage additional cables.
The arrest report says Paulino advanced toward Walker, pointing the knife at him and "threatening to cut his throat."
"Are you threatening me?" Walker asked.
"I'm promising you," Paulino responded. "I will rip that thing off your shoulder so quick and beat you down with it."
The incident began just before Local 10 was about to go live with an investigation into this $5.2 million home.
The owner had more than $100,000 in unpaid property taxes.
After the 911 call, officers stormed in, brought in the SWAT team, surrounded the house for two hours, then, when Paolino wouldn't come out, simply left.
Police allowed Paolino to negotiate where and when he turned himself in Wednesday. And it's not his first brush with the law. He's been arrested for DUI involving bodily injury.
"You surprised there's trouble at that house?" Palombo asked Paolino's neighbor Mike Meldeau.
"No I'm not," Meldeau replied. "There's a long history of trouble at that house."
Police would not comment on camera about why they left Paolino at his home Tuesday night, or why he was allowed to negotiate where and how he turned himself in.
The did, however, issue a statement, saying it was "to minimize the likelihood of escalating the incident."
Damage was estimated to be in excess of $1,400.
Paulino was charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief and grand theft.