Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Lengthy standoff with woman barricaded in home ends with police shooting

Metro Standoff

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

Metro officers assemble equipment during a hostage situation near Mountain Vista Street and Tropicana Avenue Tuesday, August 27, 2013. A woman is believed to be barricaded inside a home, possibly with two children and several weapons.

Updated Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013 | 10:10 a.m.

Police standoff

Metro Standoff

Metro Sgt. John Sheahan briefs members of the media about a hostage situation near Mountain Vista Street and Tropicana Avenue Tuesday, August 27, 2013. A woman is believed to be barricaded inside a home, possibly with two children and several weapons. Launch slideshow »

Standoff

A standoff that lasted nearly 24 hours ended Tuesday night when a Metro Police SWAT officer shot an armed woman barricaded inside her home with two children.

Police were at the scene of the standoff at 4516 Newton Drive, near the intersection of Mountain Vista Street and Tropicana Avenue in southeast Las Vegas, since 11 p.m. Monday. Metro Deputy Chief Al Salinas said the woman had threatened to kill herself and her two children.

At 10 p.m., officers heard a shot fired and — fearing for the safety of the children — entered the home through the front door, Salinas said. They found the woman barricaded in a bathroom with one of the children. Minutes later, the woman used a .45-caliber handgun to shoot a SWAT officer in the shin, and an officer returned fire, hitting the woman in the face. She was taken to University Medical Center, where she is expected to survive, Salinas said. The officer was treated for his wound at the scene.

Metro spokesman Bill Cassell said the children, ages 2 and 3, suffered minor scrapes and bruises but did not need medical attention. Child Protective Services took custody of the children.

Salinas could not confirm what the woman shot at initially to trigger the SWAT team's entrance to the home.

Metro first responded to a report of a domestic dispute, according to Lt. Ron Fox.

A man and his 10-year-old son came out of the house, but the boy’s mother refused to come out, Fox said. Several weapons were believed to be in the house with the woman, Fox said.

Police negotiators had worked to coax the woman out of the house safely, Fox said.

Metro initially issued a report that children in the nearby schools would be transported to Woodbury Middle School to be picked up by their parents at the end of the day, but no children were transported, Clark County School District Police Capt. Ken Young said.

Sgt. John Sheahan, stationed at the scene, said earlier that officers were preparing for the standoff to last until Wednesday.

Metro Police does not keep any record of the longest standoff in department history. However, Cassell, who has been with the department for 28 years, said he does not recall any police standoff lasting more than 24 hours.

"This is certainly a long situation," Cassell said of the Tuesday standoff. "When we're out on these things, we're committed to staying out there as long as it takes to bring this to a safe conclusion unless something happens that forces us to take other actions."

A second standoff that occurred near Flamingo Avenue and Boulder Highway earlier Tuesday morning has been resolved, Fox said.

Police officers were called to an apartment at the Budget Suites at about 5 a.m. Tuesday after security reported a disturbance, Fox said. A man and four other people barricaded themselves into the apartment, he said.

A Henderson Police negotiator helped resolve the standoff without any injuries, loss of life or property damage, Fox said, adding that he believes the man barricaded himself in the apartment because there was a warrant out for his arrest. The nature of the warrant is not known at this time.

The man was taken into custody, Fox said.

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