North Austin SWAT Call Ends Peacefully (Updated)

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — A SWAT standoff with a North Austin resident that lasted for several hours ended peacefully just after noon on Friday, police said.

Earlier on Friday morning at around 8:15 a.m., police were called to a home along the 7900 block of Gault Street after a woman there refused to exit the building. It's unclear why the woman was sought by law enforcmeent. Police reportedly believed weapons may have been inside the home, prompting the SWAT response as a result.

Police noted the woman was placed into custody once she finally emerged from the home, but is not expected to face criminal charges. Police didn't indicate whether weapons were ultimately found inside the home.

From earlier:

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — A police standoff in North Austin has prompted closure of a major artery where traffic is being detoured, officials said.

The police SWAT team has been dispatched to the 7900 block of Gault Street to help coax the person out of a building. As a result of the police presence, the 1100 block of westbound Anderson Lane is shut down. Motorists are being diverted to Anderson Square in the interim, although police noted that eastbound Anderson Lane remains open to traffic.

Via Twitter, police urged motorists to avoid the area altogether. Drivers already in the vicinity can expect traffic delays, police added.

It's unclear what prompted the subject to barricade inside a building. Typically in such situations, police haul out the full arsenal of SWAT equipment — armored vehicles, specially trained officers, K9s, robots capable of exceeding a police perimeter, high-powered weapons — in efforts to end such standoffs. As a result, residents in the vicinity typically are not allowed to leave their homes until the confrontation ends.

Police have provided no details as of 11:30 a.m. Patch will amplify this story when more information is made available.

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