SWAT standoff in Arlington neighborhood ends with 2 arrests

Booking photos of Ryan Evans (left) and Roosevelt James (right). (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After about four hours of negotiating, two people who held someone hostage in an Arlington apartment complex surrendered to police and were arrested Monday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Around 3:30 p.m., according to arrest reports, Roosevelt James, 34, and Ryan Evans, 35, were spotted in a pickup truck that had been carjacked. Evans realized police had seen him and led a high-speed chase spanning about 11 minutes from Arlington Road to Mill Creek Road, where he crashed, the reports show.

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The suspects barricaded themselves in an apartment, police said.

“They took a hostage,” Hancock said. “The patrol officers responded. They cordoned off the area, surrounded the area, and the suspects remained inside while the SWAT team and the hostage negotiators responded.”

Eventually, the two suspects were coaxed out and taken into custody.

James and Evans are each charged with burglary and false imprisonment. Evans is also charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The man held hostage was reportedly not hurt.

A few schools in the area were placed on lockdown as a precaution. Students and faculty were escorted off the properties without incident.


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