Police force barricaded woman out of home

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - A woman is in police custody after several tense hours in Waynedale on Tuesday. The incident occurred in a home on Allegany Avenue, near Bluffton and Sandpoint roads late in the afternoon.

In a statement to reporters, officer Allissa Barnhorst said police were called to the neighborhood on reports of a disturbance in a home. A man who escaped the home met with police and explained a woman was barricaded inside the house with a weapon.

As the woman sheltered in the home, police gathered outside. An armored vehicle was stationed nearby. Police cruisers blocked the street. A command post was set up in the parking lot of the nearby Bluebird Restaurant while other police vehicles were stationed at neighboring businesses.

Police drone pilots and a crisis team were called in.

By early evening, police grew eager to end the standoff. Officers used what they described as “less-lethal” munitions to force the woman from the home. These often include irritating chemicals or “flash bang” devices that briefly incapacitate a person or coax them from hiding places. Officers did not specify which device they employed.

The woman soon surrendered. No injuries were reported.