TAMPA, Fla. – A North Carolina man surrendered to authorities Monday morning after a standoff that lasted more than eight hours.
The Sheriff’s Office said at 11:14 p.m. on Sunday night, the HCSO Communications Bureau received a phone call from a complainant in reference to a barricaded subject inside of a room at the hotel.
The caller told deputies the man had a firearm in his possession. HCSO’s SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Team responded to the scene.
At a press conference Monday, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said when deputies got to the hotel, they confirmed a man was holding two family members hostage.
Deputies immediately called SWAT and Crisis Negotiation teams to the scene to help.
Chronister said that negotiators tried to make contact with the suspect and family members.
“We attempted to provide them with a phone, he refused to take any type of phone at all – again, would only yell out certain obscenities or little comments that he would make throughout the night,” Chronister said. “This subject was extremely, extremely agitated.”
Chronister said the man became agitated and irate at some point throughout the night, and fired shots inside of the hotel room.
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Chronister added that the suspect also shot at the SWAT team, intentionally trying to strike one of the team members.
“One of our SWAT team members, from some type of, we believe from the fragment of the bullet, was struck in the face and has a minor laceration to his face,” Chronister said. “Luckily, that’s the extent of the injury here today.”
Around 7:45 a.m., Hernandez came out of the hotel room and surrendered to deputies without incident. The two family members who were inside the room with Hernandez were also unharmed.
“This investigation was a complete team effort,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “All of our units worked tirelessly and in tandem to bring this incident to a peaceful ending during the hours-long investigation. I also want to thank Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for their assistance during our investigation.”
Deputies found evidence that Hernandez tried to start a fire inside the hotel room. The investigation is active and ongoing.
Approximately, 50-60 people were evacuated from the hotel as a precautionary measure during the course of the investigation.
Hillsborough Avenue, between Hanley Road and Sawyer Road, was shut down in both directions.
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