Hours-long SWAT standoff in west Wichita ends with peaceful surrender, arrest
After an hours-long standoff at a west Wichita home, an armed man sought by the Sheriff’s Office has peacefully surrendered and has been arrested.
The standoff began around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday when deputies with the Sedgwick County’s Sheriff’s Office tried to serve a felony warrant to a man living in the 600 block of North Eisenhower, Wichita police information officer Andrew Ford said. Deputies spoke with a resident, who told them the man they were looking for was armed and in the basement.
“The deputies did not go into the home, but instead attempted to communicate with that male for about an hour, trying to get him to come out peacefully, but they were unsuccessful in reaching him,” Ford said.
The deputies contacted Wichita SWAT, which deployed a robot and a drone inside the home. But “due to the topography of the home,” Ford said, “those technologies were unsuccessful in maneuvering in that house.”
“This is why we have the level of resources out here, as well,” Ford said, referring to the large police presence and use of police techonology, “to make sure we do this correctly. We slow it down, because we want this to end peacefully.”
Communication attempts continued into the afternoon, and nearby homes were evacuated.
Around 5:30 p.m., police said they were able to use a rook, a tracked, armored vehicle, to open the door and convince the man to come out peacefully.
