BALTIMORE —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
