Man who claimed to have child hostage arrested after standoff
A 29-year-old White Bear Lake man was arrested Thursday night after a standoff with law enforcement at a Woodbury hotel.
According to Woodbury Public Safety, officers located the man's vehicle in the Country Inn parking lot around 9:30 p.m., and after running the license plate learned the owner – 29-year-old Darnell Davis – had felony warrants for fleeing police, drive-by shooting and violating a domestic abuse no contact order.
Officer spoke to a woman who had several children in her care in a hotel room at the Country Inn, and learned that Davis was believed to be in the bathroom.
After being told he was under arrest, Davis refused to leave the bathroom and claimed to have a child with him. He also claimed to have a handgun and said he was suicidal.
The hotel room and adjacent rooms were evacuated for safety and Washington County SWAT arrived to help manage the scene, according to a press release.
Officers attempted to coax Davis out of the bathroom for approximately 30 minutes before he surrounded to SWAT negotiators.
He did not have a weapon or hostage in the bathroom with him, according to Woodbury Public Safety. Davis was booked into the Washington County Jail.
Note: The details provided in this story are based on the police’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.
