MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minneapolis Police say a 7-hour standoff involving an armed man who barricaded himself inside a home has ended peacefully.
Inspector Mike Kjos, of the Minneapolis Police Department, said they were able to pinpoint the location of the man inside the home, located off the 3500 block of Newton Avenue North, and send in a robot unit.
Kjos said police were in the area of the north Minneapolis home early Sunday morning, when a woman ran out of the home to ask for help. She said she was just involved in a domestic incident. The officers followed her back to the residence and learned that another man, woman and child were still inside the residence.
When police arrived, they observed an intoxicated man in front. When he saw police, he retreated into the house.
Within moments, the man, woman and child were able to leave the house without incident.
During this time, police learned that the man inside the home was armed. Efforts were made to get the man to exit the home peacefully over the next several hours.
A three-square-block area was roped off from the public while police investigated the scene.
The S.W.A.T. team, negotiators and several units were on the scene, trying to end the standoff safely. The suspect did not make any contact with police or negotiate with officers whatsoever, Inspector Kjos said.
“At one point, we reached the front door so that we would have access to get inside the house. We sent in our robot to look around and once we narrowed down what room our suspect was in, we sent our officers in and were able to take him into custody,” he said. “He is under arrest. Currently it is an active investigation.”
Police later identified the suspect as 29-year-old Eric Christopher Simmons. He was transported to North Memorial for a routine exam before being booked into Hennepin County Jail on multiple charges, including false imprisonment and reckless discharge of a fire arm.
Kjos said they are not aware of any injuries to anyone in this incident.
Investigators are continuing to investigate why the man has barricaded himself inside.
