Three-Hour East Austin Standoff Leads To Suspect's Arrest For Arson

EAST AUSTIN, TX — A man who set furniture afire inside an East Austin home late Monday and engaged in a three-hour standoff with arriving police forces has been arrested.

The incident occurred at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday and didn't end until just after midnight Tuesday, according to Austin police. According to local reports, the man barricaded himself after torching the furniture while allegedly threatening firefighters with a gun.

The man finally emerged from the home along the 2300 block of Willow Street in East Austin's Holly neighborhood shortly after midnight on Tuesday and was promptly arrested. He now faces a felony charge of arson, punishable by at least five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

As of Tuesday afternoon, police hadn't disclosed the man's name.

As is the Austin Police Department custom in standoff situations, police dispatched the full array of military-style SWAT equipment to coax the man out. Witnesses reported on social media that officers blared messages to the suspect demanding he exit the home throughout the night and blocked off streets to accommodate emergency personnel. A police helicopter circling above the home added to the chaotic scene.

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