Women, 4 Kids Safe After Barricade Gunman Situation

DETROIT, MI — One man is in custody and Detroit police are seeking another after an early morning domestic violence incident turned into a barricaded gunman situation with hostages, police say. It started when a young girl, under 13, called police around 4:40 a.m. Tuesday saying her mother was being beaten by her stepfather.

Cmdr. Darin Szilagy of the Detroit Police Metropolitan Division told reporters police had been to this house in the 17000 block of Heyden Street before on domestic violence and assault calls. They believe the stepfather, 28, fled when the girl was on the phone with police.

When police arrived, they spoke to another man who was in the home, a 26-year-old who they said appeared to be intoxicated. Police asked to do a welfare check and he refused.

That's when his "demeanor deteriorated and eventually he threatened to shoot our police officers," Szilagy said.

Officers backed off and called in the special response team and hostage negotiators. They eventually got the man to release a woman and four kids, all under age 13.

The hostage negotiators continued to work the situation and eventually the man, and another woman, surrendered to police. The man is in custody for threatening to shoot police and the woman is not facing charges.

Police have not yet found a gun.

The 28-year-old man, who police believe fled when his stepdaughter was on the phone with police, is wanted for questioning over domestic violence.

Szilagy told reporters all the kids are showing signs of anxiety and anguish. "No woman should be assaulted... for kids to see that, to be traumatized, to be put into the position to have to call the police. No one should have to go through that," he told reporters.

"I'm glad this little girl had the strength to make the call. Who knows what we prevented today?" he said, noting that domestic violence can often lead to even more serious crimes.