AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) SWAT team was called out to a scene Thursday morning where a shelter-in-place was enacted in South Austin.
That shelter-in-place order for a one-mile radius in the area of 3700 block of Southridge Drive has been lifted and a suspect is now in custody.
No civilian injuries were reported and police said the suspect, who has multiple active felony warrants, will face multiple charges.
Police said the incident began Thursday when they received a call that someone was stealing mail from mailboxes at The Retreat apartments. When officers arrived, they said the man began fleeing on foot. Once they caught up to him, police said the suspect began fighting officers and actively resisting arrest.
Officials were able to detain the suspect and transported him to a nearby hospital, believing he was under the influence of some sort of narcotic. After being treated and released from the hospital, police said the suspect escaped custody and began running toward Ben White Boulevard. As he neared the highway, police said the man attempted to gain access to multiple vehicles in the area.
At some point, police said he was able to gain access to an APD patrol unit and fled to the Southridge/Southport Drive area. Here, police said the suspect gained access to a residence, where he barricaded himself inside. The SWAT team, along with negotiators, then arrived to persuade him to come back outside.
After refusing to speak to police and comply with commands, police said the man then fled to an adjacent residence and forced entry, where he remained uncooperative. Officials eventually gained access to that residence, where he continued to resist arrest until he was detained.
The man will be taken to the Travis County Jail. Police said he could face potential charges such as evading arrest, resisting arrest, escape, mail theft and others.
The public information officer on scene said at this time it is not clear how he gained access to the squad car. Police said the suspect did not have a weapon on him.
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