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Domestic dispute sparks SWAT call at South Austin home
Various Austin agencies responded to a home in South Austin, where a verbal disturbance turned into a SWAT call. The suspect is now in custody.
AUSTIN, Texas - A suspect is in custody after a domestic dispute turned into a SWAT situation in South Austin, Austin police say.
APD says just before 9 a.m. Jan. 21, 911 received reports of a verbal disturbance at a home in the 2000 block of Bitter Creek Drive, near E. William Cannon Drive and Bluff Springs Road.
It was later determined this was a domestic dispute and a male suspect had multiple felony warrants and was potentially violating an emergency protective order.
Just before 10:30 a.m., officers arrived at the scene and "were able to ensure the safety of the victim and other residents," says APD. The victim told officers the man didn't live there but was refusing to leave.
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APD briefing on SWAT call in South Austin
Austin police give an update on a SWAT call concerning a barricaded subject in South Austin.
The man then began making threats to set fire to the home, which prompted an evacuation of nearby homes. ATCEMS, Austin Fire, SWAT, negotiators and other specialized units were also called in to respond to the scene.
"When you start making threats to start fire to a structure that is so close to other structures, we definitely are going to go ahead and evacuate the area. The safety of everyone is our top priority," Ofc. Alexandra Parker with Austin Police said.
"They kept telling him to come outside, come outside, and he wouldn't answer and eventually they just cracked a window with a stick and threw in a smoke bomb, and you could hear him start coughing and everything, and he finally came out. They had the SWAT team and everything, they had guns, it was just crazy," witness Tyron Robinson said.
Police didn't specify which tactics they used. "There were some resources used, all done with an effort to bring it to a peaceful close, nothing that would hurt him seriously is always the objective," Parker said.
The scene of law enforcement left some neighbors worried. "When I see those things, I'm going to be scared and I start getting anxiety because I have my kids, and I don't feel safe," Neha Arora said. "They want to play outside in the neighborhood, but I can't let them to play outside because of the fears that I feel."
Police have not identified the man nor what he had warrants for.
The man was taken into custody just after 2:30 p.m. No injuries have so far been reported.