3 Children Escape Standoff In Sarasota County

SARASOTA, FL -- The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said a standoff with a man ended peacefully Thursday when the man's children and mother made it out of a home unharmed. The standoff took place in the 2900 block of Linwood Drive.

"Three children were able to safely exit the home," according to the sheriff's office. The last two people to exit the home included the man and his mother. The sheriff's office said the man did not have a firearm.

"We're very relieved to say that the individual who was inside that home tonight has come out. He is now safe," said Sarasota County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez. "This is a really interesting situation because from the get go, when we first received that call at 1:43 this afternoon it was clear that there was a mental health component to this situation."

She said the initial 9-1-1 call came from the man, who said he "immediately" wanted first responders to send law enforcement and forensics personnel to the home. It was not clear what he meant by forensics personnel.

"It was an unusual call," Perez said. "We got there to the scene as quickly as we could, and we pulled in resources, deputies who are trained in crisis intervention, who know how to handle issues like this."

When deputies arrived they found the adult man, his mother and the man's three children in the home. The man was not identified by the sheriff's office.

"Our goal in law enforcement is preservation of life and that's what the guys and girls did today," Perez said. "To be able to communicate with someone who's dealing with that level of crisis is something that not just anybody can do."

The sheriff's office said that the SWAT team, Hostage Negotiation Team, Criminal Investigations Section, Aviation Unit and K-9 Unit were all on the scene.

Perez said that the man was on the phone with a hostage negotiator for a time.

Motorists were also urged to avoid the area during the incident.