Man Wanted For Armed Robbery Arrested After 7-Hour Standoff In Boston
BOSTON (CBS) – A man who was on the Boston Police most wanted list was arrested after a standoff that lasted seven hours and shut down part of the city's South End neighborhood Tuesday.
Ernest Fields, 37 of Boston, was wanted for armed robbery. Police recovered a loaded firearm after the standoff Tuesday and Fields is now facing several gun charges.
Starting around 10 a.m., people were asked to avoid the area of Albany Street between East Berkeley Street and Malden Street.
The suspect's father told WBZ-TV someone saw his son with a gun and then officers surrounded him in a park. The family was brought in to try to convince him to surrender peacefully.
Fields was taken into custody at about 5 p.m.
"I can't say enough about the job our officers did today," said Boston Police Superintendent and Chief Gregory Long. "It's been a long day. The patience, the time they utilized, the restraint and de-escalation tactics they used to turn an extremely dangerous situation into one with a peaceful ending without serious injury to anybody is incredible."
Emerson College sent out an alert to students telling them to stay away as police deal with an "armed person with unknown intent."
A large police presence was visible in the area, including SWAT team vehicles.
Fields suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.