Man arrested in Biloxi standoff faces kidnapping and assault charges, police say

A man arrested Friday morning after a 19-hour standoff with law enforcement at a Biloxi apartment complex is facing charges of kidnapping and aggravated domestic assault, police said.

Authorities said the suspect, Joshua Drake Ervin, was jailed Friday in Harrison County on a $500,000 bond.

The standoff began Thursday afternoon after a 911 caller reported a man with a gun was acting erratic near the Oasis Apartments, at Rodenberg Avenue and Pass Road. Police said the man barricaded himself inside an apartment when officers arrived.

A pregnant woman who police identified as Ervin’s significant other was inside the apartment with him, according to authorities. Lt. Candace Young, a spokesperson for the Biloxi Police Department, said Ervin did not threaten the woman during the standoff.

Police said the standoff took so long to resolve because Ervin engaged for hours with negotiators, who believed a peaceful resolution was possible. Law enforcement entered the apartment around 10 a.m. Friday, when the woman was in another room and after Ervin stopped talking to police, Young said.

Authorities said Ervin and woman were unharmed, and that the woman was brought to a hospital out of caution.

The standoff began around 3:40 p.m. Thursday and prompted the evacuation of some neighbors. Police also closed nearly all of Rodenberg Avenue north of Pass Road. SWAT teams with the Harrison and Jackson County sheriff’s departments took over for Biloxi police at midnight, and Biloxi police resumed control at 8 a.m. Friday.

Police also said a third person who was inside the apartment on Thursday escaped at some point during the standoff and cooperated with police.

This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 2:54 PM.