Police have arrested an armed suspect at the Crown Hotel in the Mission district after a more than seven-hour standoff with police Friday, according to NBC Bay Area.
SFPD closed off Valencia Street between 16th Street and 18th Street after they received a 911 call at 1:55 p.m. about a person who brandished a gun at a victim inside an apartment building on the 500 block.
The victim was in the building to perform pest control service when the tenant wielded a firearm. The victim retreated and called the police. The first officers to respond were from the SFPD Mission Station and crisis intervention-trained police officers.
Residents of the building were evacuated immediately and people living near the lockdown area were given a phone number to call if they needed shelter.
Sgt. Mike Andraychak stated that around 6:00 p.m. an armored rescue truck arrived at the scene in front of the building with a crisis negotiator. Officers were situated inside and outside the building while the suspect was in room with a clear view of Valencia Street.
“The subject lives in an apartment that has a window that overlooks Valencia Street,” said Sgt. Andreychak during a press conference. Officers used a loudspeaker on a vehicle in front of the building to reach out to the suspect.
Kelsey Gibbs and Nick Levoch went to get lunch and left their two dogs in their vehicle. When they came back, police told them that the area had been closed down and that their car was in front of the building where the standoff was occurring.
Verbal communication between authorities and the suspect locked inside the building continued after 6:30 p.m. and at least once, the suspect came out of the apartment to speak with officers. No weapon was seen with the subject at the time. Andraychak continued to establish rapport while the suspect was still armed.
According to CBS Local News, the suspect surrendered and was taken into custody just after 9 p.m. – she was then transferred to a hospital for evaluation. By 10 p.m. the Mission Station reported that the situation on Valencia Street was winding down.
