Armed standoff ends with mobile home on fire, arrest of Bradenton man, sheriff says

A Bradenton man is in jail after he had an armed standoff with the SWAT team at a mobile home park on Saturday, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Jamie Steffanuski, 48, is charged with aggravated assault against law enforcement and violation of probation, both felony crimes.

Around 5:15 p.m. Saturday, a sheriff’s deputy with a warrant for Steffanuski attempted to arrest him at Fair Lane Acres mobile home park on 49th Avenue Terrace West, east of 14th Street West.

Steffanuski showed a gun and fled into a mobile home on the property, the sheriff’s office announced Sunday.

“Steffanuski refused to come out and made threats to harm deputies if they made entry to the home,” the news release said.

The sheriff’s office SWAT team was called to the scene, and a standoff that lasted for several hours before Steffanuski surrendered, the sheriff’s office said.

As he was being taken into custody, law enforcement saw that the mobile home was on fire. Firefighters were called to the scene and put out the blaze. It caused heavy damage to the mobile home but no injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire. The sheriff’s office suspects it was set intentionally.