Capitol Heights Hotel Standoff: Man Surrenders To Police

UPDATE, 1 p.m. — An unidentified man is in custody following a standoff Friday morning with Prince George's County police at a Capitol Heights hotel, according to Police Chief Henry Stawinski. The police closed roads in the area and set up a barricade at the hotel, but the man surrendered to police negotiators after taking refuge in a hotel room with his 6-year-old son.

"The child has been reunited with his family and is safe," Stawinski said at a news conference after the standoff.

The incident began at about 8:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Country Inn & Suites, in the 8800 block of Hampton Mall Drive North, off Central Avenue just west of the Beltway (I-495). The man got into an argument with a woman that turned violent; the 6-year-old boy is their child, the chief said.

The woman was seriously injured, and a bystander intervened but was also injured. Prince George's County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene, but the man retreated to a second-floor room with his son.

At that point, police officers took over, closing down Central Avenue between the Beltway and Hampton Park Boulevard, and evacuating the hotel and other businesses in the area, a police spokeswoman said.

Police negotiators moved into place outside the man's room. After several hours, they convinced the man to come out of the room and turn himself in, the chief said.

He was being questioned by police Friday afternoon, and charges are pending.

Stawinski said he could not confirm whether the man was armed, adding that the police were clearing the hotel room and executing search warrants.

The woman and the bystander were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries, and they're expected to be OK, the chief said. The child was not injured but also underwent a medical evaluation.

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MD — The Prince George's County police have responded to a hostage situation at a hotel in Capitol Heights, according to a media report. The incident was reported at about 8 a.m. Friday as a domestic violence situation at the Country Inn & Suites, WTTG-TV Fox 5 reported.

The police have closed down Central Avenue between the Beltway and Hampton Park Boulevard, and the hotel and other businesses in the area have been evacuated, a police spokeswoman said.

The police have set up a barricade outside the hotel in the 8800 block of Hampton Mall Drive North. A man is holding a second person hostage in a room on the hotel's second story, the spokeswoman said.

The police said a fight between a man and a woman took place in the lobby of the hotel, Fox 5 reported, and the woman was hospitalized. Police said the man retreated to his room.

The police spokeswoman said Prince George's sheriff's deputies responded to the initial call, but the police were called in when it turned into a hostage situation.

Patch will have more on this story as it develops.

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