Puzzling standoff in Independence leads to 5 arrests, including possible homicide suspect
Five people, including a homicide suspect, were arrested on suspicion of burglary early Monday after a five-hour standoff in Independence that has left police a little puzzled, a police spokesman said.
The events began unfolding about 2:45 a.m. when officers on patrol in the area of U.S. 24 highway and Blue Ridge Boulevard saw a driver of a vehicle acting suspiciously, said officer Jack Taylor, a spokesman for the Independence Police Department.
Officers followed the vehicle about two miles and just before they attempted to stop it, the driver pulled into driveway of a home in the 200 block of South Huttig Avenue, Taylor said.
Officers saw the driver, who was alone in the vehicle, jump out and run into the home through the back door. Officers, once the man entered the home, treated the situation as a burglary in progress.
A dispatcher called the house and woke the homeowner, alerting them to what was happening. According to police, the homeowner was unaware what was happening and told the dispatcher that no one was supposed to be in the house.
The homeowner was able to safely come out of the house and speak with officers. Another resident of the home also escaped safely, Taylor said.
Meanwhile, officers could hear others inside moving around and see them looking out windows. At one point, officers spoke with one of the persons barricaded in the house. Over the course of the standoff, people would surrender to police, each telling police a different story.
Police believe some of the suspects were already inside the house at the time they saw the first man enter through the back door.
At one point, a person told officers that there was a man inside who was a person-of-interest in a homicide that occurred outside of Independence. As police were checking with the prosecutor’s office, the man surrendered to police, Taylor said. The location of the homicide was not released because detectives didn’t know the status of the investigation.
When officers checked the residence to make sure everyone had come out, they found a woman still inside. In total, five people were arrested on suspicion of burglary and were taken in for questioning. The standoff ended about 8 a.m.
Police still don’t know what exactly was going on, Taylor said. Police believe that they all might know each other, although they were denying it.
Once detectives piece together their statements, they will present the case to prosecutors to determine whether charges should be filed, Taylor said.
