Woman released 21 hours into police standoff near University of Minnesota

A standoff between police and a man holed up in a hotel room near the University of Minnesota entered its second day Tuesday as authorities continued to work for a peaceful resolution.
Some streets in the vicinity of the Graduate Hotel were closed all day Monday have reopened as has the Washington Avenue Parking Ramp. A campus recreation center and Beacon Street between Walnut and Harvard Streets SE. remained closed Tuesday morning as the situation moved into its 29th hour.
Late Monday after 21 hours, the man released a woman who had been in the sixth floor room with him. She was uninjured and was talking with investigators, said University of Minnesota spokesman Chuck Tombarge.

The suspect was still in the room negotiating with officers from the U, Minneapolis, State Patrol and Brooklyn Park, he said.

The standoff played out throughout the day Monday on the East Bank, where students and guests went about their business despite closed roads and a large police presence.

Early on, authorities would only say one suspect, a man, and another person were in a sixth-floor room of the Graduate Hotel at 615 Washington Av. SE. since midnight Sunday. Police would not say it was a hostage situation or whether the man was armed.

The hotel, which is in Stadium Village, and surrounding businesses were operating as normal. Students came and went from an adjacent Applebee's restaurant and Starbucks Coffee. A few hotel guests were evacuated, but the hotel remained open, said Tombarge.

University of Minnesota Police Chief Matt Clark said Monday afternoon that officers arrived at the hotel for a welfare check, along with a warrant for the man's arrest for an Arizona-based felony crime. Clark said the warrant was for a white-collar nonviolent crime.

"Our goal is to have a peaceful resolution," Clark said. "Time is important, yes, but more important is safety."

No one was hurt as of late Monday, Tombarge said. Authorities have not said what led to the incident or anything about the nature of the discussions between police and the man.

Roads near the hotel remained closed Monday night, as did a campus recreation center located behind the hotel. The Washington Avenue Ramp also remained inaccessible to vehicles and those with contract reservations were being directed to other university parking facilities.

The U described the incident as a "public safety situation," in a series of text and e-mail messages sent to alert students, faculty and staff of the situation around 5:50 a.m. Monday.

The alert asked people to "please avoid these areas."

Transit service operated by the university and Metro Transit was operating as normal in the area.

Tombarge added the incident is not associated with Super Bowl.

"We are hoping for a peaceful conclusion," Tombarge said.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647