Hostages jump gunman and grab weapon, ending hourslong standoff, Houston cops say

An hourslong hostage situation in Houston, Texas, ended without violence on Tuesday thanks to quick thinking from the captives, according to police.

Police said they were called to a South Houston home on the 4100 block of Grassmere Street around 5:30 a.m. by a woman who said an armed man was choking her, and when officers responded they could hear her yelling that the gunman would kill them, the Houston Chronicle reports.

There were five hostages in the house, police spokesman Larry Satterwhite said in a briefing on the incident, which Houston police posted on Twitter. Satterwhite said the gunman was about 32 years old.

For hours, the man remained in the home and was unwilling to leave, police said.

“The suspect did not want to talk a whole lot to the police. He wanted to talk about other issues,” Satterwhite said. “We just continued that negotiation with the goal of hopefully getting it resolved peaceful.”

Eventually the hostages saw an opening to overpower him, according to Satterwhite.

“At some point, the hostages in the house saw an opportunity while he was on the phone that he put the firearm down,” Satterwhite said, explaining that “they actually grabbed the firearm and jumped on him.”

That’s when the SWAT team rushed in to help, according to police.

“It became a rescue, so our teams went into the house and were able to get him in custody and get everyone out safely — including a baby,” Satterwhite said.

The suspect has not been identified. No one was injured, police said.

The hostages were two men and three women, including a 1-year-old child, the child’s mother and a disabled man, Satterwhite said. He described everyone in the house as a relative or friend of the hostage-taker.

“It was commotion,” Satterwhite said. “When officers made entry, that was the scene: The suspect was on top of the hostages, but it was a struggle.”

Sattterwhite said the man has a history of mental illness.

He will be booked at the Harris County Jail, likely on charges of “at minimum” aggravated kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon, Satterwhite said.

“We have dealt with him many times before, but nothing like this to my knowledge,” Satterwhite said, adding that the suspect had “a little bit of criminal history.”

The standoff lasted about six hours, Patch reports.

Neighbors said police had responded to the house previously, KPRC reports.

“That is tragic,” said neighbor Pamela Williams, according to the TV station. “I just feel that no one should have to go through that. No one.”