TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — A suspect is in custody following a standoff with police at a hotel in Tuscaloosa Thursday morning.

The Tuscaloosa Police Department stated its Special Response Team responded to the Ramada Inn on Skyland Boulevard around 9:30 a.m. to assist the U.S. Marshals in taking a “high-risk suspect” into custody. Officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect via text messages and phone calls for nearly two hours until gas canisters were deployed.

The suspect surrendered, and the U.S. Marshals took the suspect into custody around 11:45 a.m.

“We took a lot of steps to ensure everyone’s safety, from evacuating the hotel guests to using
drones and a slow, methodical approach,” TPD Chief Brent Blankley said in a release. “Those efforts paid off, and we were able to assist in the safe apprehension of a dangerous suspect.”

The TPD didn’t mention the suspect’s name or their criminal history.

This is a developing story.