Man Arrested In Bloomington Standoff
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) -- A man has been arrested after a 10-hour Bloomington standoff Tuesday.
Bloomington police had to shut down the intersection of 90th Street and Nicollet as they worked to get a potentially armed suspect out of a condemned home.
At around 4:15 a.m., a witness walking along Nicollet called 911 to report that someone had shined a laser at him and a passing car. When police responded, an officer also had a laser pointed at him.
"The big concern there is that laser pointers can often be attached to firearms," Bloomington police Deputy Chief Rick Hart said.
A SWAT team was called to the scene, and authorities have closed 90th Street between 1st Avenue and Blaisdell Avenue. Nicollet Avenue has also been closed between 88th and 92nd Streets.
Shortly after 11 a.m., it was confirmed that the suspect fled into a nearby apartment. Police evacuated a few surrounding apartment units as a precaution. It's unclear if the apartment is the suspect's residence.
Hart would not confirm an address, but police appeared to have the apartment complex on the 8900 block of Nicollet Avenue South surrounded.
Traffic approaching from all directions was diverted and some motorists were frustrated they couldn't get to their homes.
"Were doing the best we can to make sure the situation is safe," Hart said.
Authorities said as a result of the standoff, a couple of schools in the area had been put on a modified lock down for safety reasons. Valley View Elementary and Middle School and Bloomington Kennedy High School were in a modified lock down until the incident was resolved.
School officials have also been in contact with parents of students living in the area about half-day kindergarten and childhood programs.
At approximately 2 p.m., the suspect, identified only as a 50-year-old man, was taken into custody and the lock downs have been lifted. Police hope to get residents back in apartments soon.
Police continue to search for weapons in the apartment where he was arrested, which is his.
