Barricaded Suspect Surrenders After Three-Hour Standoff [UPDATE]

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX -- What started off as a simple welfare check on an individual ended up as a standoff that lasted some three hours as police in full force tried to get a man to surrender himself to law enforcement authorities.

The incident at 701 Woodward Sreet began shortly before 7 a.m., when police received a call deemed “welfare care-urgent,” Corporal Angel Polansky said at a media briefing after the standoff ended at about 10 a.m.

The incident took place in the 700 block of Woodward Street in the Blunn Creek Apartments complex, across the street from the St. Edwards University campus.

Based on police intelligence, it was believed the man might have had possession of a weapon, Polansky said.

The welfare check stemmed from some sort of family disturbance, Polansky said. The suspect -- to whom a police on a megaphone referred to as Jose Juarez -- was Tasered upon finally opening the door, a step that was taken for failing to obey police officers’ commands, Polansky said.

It’s unclear whether the man spoke English and was able to understand those commands. Asked by Patch whether the man was English fluent, she indicated first it was unknown and then said police intelligence suggested he did understand English.

But before the man finally surrendered, at about 9:30 a.m., a police officer on a walkie-talkie was heard telling his base that the man’s mother -- a Spanish speaker -- had been located. The inference was that perhaps she might talk to the suspect.

Meanwhile, as the standoff over what began as a simple domestic disturbance progressed, local law enforcement employed the full range of emergency resources -- several police cars, armored units, a command truck, a firetruck, a police canine, motorcycle officers and even a robot designed to retrieve armaments. A SWAT team was deployed to get the man to surender to police, a negotiator delivering messages to the man through a megaphone throughout the morning.

Polansky said the measures were all taken as a precaution. Also as a precaution, an entire stretch of Woodward Street was closed off for the duration of the incident, from South Congress Avenue all the way to the Interstate 35 service road fronting a Home Depot store.

Polansky noted the man had an unrelated outstanding warrant. Asked by Patch what the warrant was for, she said she didn’t know. Asked if it was a felony or misdemeanor, she said she didn’t know.

The police spokeswoman said more details would be released as they become available.

>>> Photos: Suspect is placed in patrol car after surrender; armored vehicle positioned outside of apartment complex; photos by Tony Cantu

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From earlier:

A standoff with a barricaded suspect continues has prompted the closure of an entire stretch of Woodward Street next to the St. Edward’s University campus.

Woodward is blocked off to traffic from South Congress Avenue to the Interstate 35 service road while police negotiate with a suspect to surrender. The suspect has apparently barricaded himself in a unit at the Blunn Creek Apartments at 701 Woodward St.

University got an alert of danger at about 6:48 a..m., and SWAT units were dispatched shortly thereafter. Residents reported seeing police scurrying across their apartment complex with automatic weapons in pursuit of the suspect.

It’s unknown why the suspect was being sought. But police have descended on Woodward in full force -- with patrol units, command vehicles and motorcycles. Residents of the Blunn Creek Apartments are not being allowed to come and go while the standoff continues.

All morning long, a policeman on a megaphone has been asking the suspect -- who he identifies intermittently as “Jose” or “Jose Juarez, Jr.” -- to surrender.

“Jose Juarez Jr., come out the front door with your hands over your head,” the police officer said at one moment. “We’re not going anywhere. Come out now.”

The messages have been delivered in monotone going for three hours now, and can be heard reverberating throughout the neighborhood. It’s unclear whether the suspect speaks English, but no attempt by a Spanish-speaking officer to speak to the suspect has been made since the standoff occurred some three hours ago. .