DETROIT – Police said a man who was holding two children hostage inside a home on Detroit’s west side surrendered Sunday.
It happened at a home on Prest Street, near Greenfield Road and West McNichols Road.
He was taken into custody just before 6 p.m.
Officers were dispatched just after 11:30 a.m. on reports of a domestic disturbance. Police said they found a woman with injuries to her face who said she was assaulted by her children’s father, a 28-year-old man who reportedly suffers from a psychological disorder.
Police said she was able to make it out of the house, but the man was having a mental breakdown and decided to barricade himself in the home with a handgun and their two children -- a 2-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl.
Authorities blocked off the surrounding area while hostage negotiation and special response teams tried talking the man out of the home.
Police said there were more than 150 failed phone call attempts over several hours before officers entered the home and retrieved the children. Police said a handgun was recovered and the man was taken into custody.
Detroit Police Commander Darin Szilegi said the children didn’t know the extent of the danger they were in.
“All during this incident, they were coming up to the front window and making their presence known to us. They were waving to the officers. They seemed to be in pretty good spirits,” Szilegi said. “I think they’re too young to realize the danger of this situation. So, we’re thankful for that. Hopefully they’re not going to have any long term memories of this. The most important thing is kids are safe, officers are safe.”
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