Hostage Situation at La Quinta Hotel on Coulter St.

Earlier today, a 6-hour standoff took place between Amarillo police, SWAT teams, hostage negotiators, and a 51-year-old male at a La Quinta Hotel off I-40 and Coulter. 

At 12:40 police were called to 2108 Coulter St, in response to 911 call from a woman in panic, describing a man waving a gun around. Officers arrived on the scene, receiving another phone call from the same woman, now communicating to law enforcement that the man who had previously left the room, had returned before officers arrived and refused to let her leave.

The Amarillo Police Department’s Critical Response team, including SWAT units and Hostage Negotiaors were called to the scene and negotiators spoke to both the man and the woman from insdie the hotel room. Speaking to the man, the Hostage Negotiation Team was able to convince him to allow the woman to leave. The woman was let out into police protection. 

Despite his willingness to cooperate with authorities in relation to the woman, the man refused to come out, barricading himself inside the hotel room and prolonging the standoff. Some time later, the man complied with law enforcement, exiting the hotel room before being taken into custody at 6:45 P.M. 

Although the situation was resolved thanks to the combined effort of Amarillo Law Enforcement, this is yet another concerning crime to add to the list of concerning crimes in Amarillo. From robberies to gun threats, these past two months been a bit scary to read over. Let’s just hope that it gets better from here and that the rest of this months brings all treats, no tricks.