13-hour standoff in Worcester ends with suspect in custody
WORCESTER - A man is in custody following an over 12-hour standoff between Worcester Police on Friday.
The standoff began earlier this morning when Worcester Police surrounded the home of the suspect, who is accused of shooting two of his family members, on Colby Avenue.
Multiple exchanges of fire occurred between police and the suspect during the standoff.
"We were on scene for about 13 hours and during that time he shot at police several times," said Worcester Police Lt. Murtha.
The standoff ended just after 9 p.m. when the suspect exited the home and was placed into custody.
Sources tell WBZ that the suspect was shot by police and bitten by a K9 before being arrested. He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
Police say that patience was key to bringing the situation to a "peaceful resolution."
"I think it's important for us to be patient in these cases," said Murtha. "We often find that time is on our side, and if we can calm people down it often has a better resolution than if things are rushed."
No police officers were injured in the standoff.
Earlier in the day, officers were called to the house shortly after 8 a.m. after they said a 24-year-old man shot two relatives in a "family incident." The two victims, described only as a male and female, were rushed to the hospital with what police said were "non-life-threatening" injuries.
When police first tried to arrest the man, he escaped.
"During their attempt to take him into custody, he fired rounds at the officers. Thankfully, not striking any of them. At that point he ran back in the house," Murtha told reporters at a news conference on Friday morning.
Investigators believed the man, who has not been identified, was still in the house and surrounded it. Negotiators and a mental health clinician were called in to help.
"Attempting to make contact is a priority, we do have some potential phone numbers to call. There are various ways to make contact and again, in a situation like this, time is on our side generally. We want to slow things down, we want to do everything we can to ensure a peaceful resolution," Murtha said.
Police shut down Trinity Avenue, which connects to Colby, and the city used a reverse 911 system to contact neighbors as a precaution.
Officers attempted to make contact with the man for several hours, even sending drones over the house to make sure he didn't leave.
Murtha said the man is "not somebody we regularly deal with, not well known" to police.
Abdul Bilal lives on Trinity Avenue and noticed several ambulances going down the street when the incident began.
"Never seen something like this. I've been here for probably two years," he told WBZ-TV. "I've never seen a lot of cops and fire trucks, ambulances, different types of cop cars, all this. It's kind of scary."
The incident is currently under investigation.
Police are expected to give more information, including an update on the victims and their relationship to the suspect, in a press conference on Saturday.
