Police said two people have been released, but a 7-year-old boy and others remain hostages after a barricade situation in southwest Baltimore.
Police said officers spotted a rape suspect around 11 a.m. Sunday, and that person fled in a vehicle and collided with another vehicle at Washington Boulevard and Monroe Street. The person in the other vehicle sustained minor injuries, police said.
Police said the suspect, armed with a gun, ran into a Burger King restaurant in the 1700 block of Washington Boulevard. Police said there are people inside the restaurant.
During a news conference Sunday afternoon, Baltimore police spokesman T.J. Smith said they believe four people inside the restaurant, including a 7-year-old boy, are being held against their will. Police did not provide any more details about the people inside the restaurant.
Around 3:50 p.m., Smith said two of the hostages have been released, but that the 7-year-old boy is not among them. Smith said police hope to “end the situation peacefully for all parties involved.”
SWAT officers and negotiators are at the scene. Police have also cordoned off the area for safety purposes, Smith said.
"The biggest thing is we want to end this peacefully and we want to end it soon," Smith said.
Smith said they are not yet identifying the suspect, but that he was wanted for a rape in the last 24-48 hours. Police did not provide any more details on the rape.
WBAL-TV 11 News has crews at the scene and will update the story as more details come in.
WBALTV.com editor Saliqa Khan contributed to this story.
source: wbaltv.com
