UPDATE: SUSPECT IN GRADUATE HOTEL STANDOFF IS IN CUSTODY, POLICE SAY (1:43 p.m.)
A woman was released at around 8:30 p.m. from the room in East Bank’s Graduate Hotel where police have been embroiled in a standoff since midnight Sunday.
The woman who left the room is now speaking with investigators as of 9:15 p.m. Monday and is safe, according to University spokesperson Chuck Tombarge. Police are still talking with a man on the sixth floor of the hotel who police say refused to leave the room after they attempted to serve an arrest warrant against him for an Arizona-based white-collar felony.
Just after 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, the University sent another update informing the community that the standoff was still ongoing, and the Recreation and Wellness Center, Scholars Walk, Beacon Street Southeast between Harvard and Walnut Streets and the parking lot north of the hotel was still closed. The rest of East Bank is now open, Vice President of University Services Mike Berthelsen said in the email.
“Our goal is a peaceful resolution,“ Tombarge said Monday night. “It’s hard to say what happens next.”
Officers have been on the scene since around midnight, Minneapolis Police spokesperson Scott Seroka said, adding there would be more information once a resolution was reached with the individual inside.
While the rear portion of the Graduate Hotel was completely blocked off by police units, police tape lay broken at the front of the building and guests entered and exited the building freely.
Some guests at the hotel claim they weren’t alerted of any safety concerns. University Police Chief Matt Clark said police did what they could to notify guests, but some were surprised as they woke up to police presence without seeing news reports.
Both University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Police were present at the scene Monday.
Despite reports from WCCO, neither Clark nor Seroka could confirm whether any of the individuals involved were armed. As of 9:45 p.m., a University spokesperson was unable to confirm whether the man had a weapon.
Tombarge said the police did not use the term “hostage situation” throughout the day, adding “It’s unclear what this is.”
A series of text and voice messages alerted students and faculty to the situation throughout the day, urging students to avoid areas where roads were closed.
Multiple tweets from Metro Transit confirmed that East Bank Green Line trains were running as normal despite the road and building closures.
This is a breaking news report. More information will be added as it becomes available.
