An armed man with PTSD is holding a woman hostage inside a hotel room in downtown St. Louis, hours after two children were able to escape.
Police were called to the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch Wednesday morning following reports that a man had locked himself inside a room with a woman and children.
At around 5:13 am, one of the two children told dispatchers that they and their sibling were hiding in a hotel bathroom while a man fought with their mother. The man got on the phone and indicated he had a gun, according to St. Louis Metropolitan Police.
Public Information Officer Evita Caldwell told Dailymail.com that a 7250, denoting a hostage situation, was declared.
‘Nearby rooms were evacuated, and we do not believe there is any threat to the public at this time as the scene is contained,’ she said.
An armed man held a woman and two children hostage in a downtown St. Louis hotel Wednesday morning
The children were able to escape from the second-floor room at the Drury Plaza Hotel, where the woman had been trapped since 5.30am
EMS crews were spotted at the scene alongside St. Louis police and SWAT teams. There has been no word of injuries
By 10 am the children had been released from the second-floor room and other guests evacuated from the building.
Dozens of police cruisers and SWAT vehicles sat outside the hotel at North 4th Street and Market Street while officers in tactical gear weaved between the parked cars.
EMS crews entered the building around 11:30 am, pushing a stretcher. So far, there has been no word on injuries.
One block down, a row of cones was lined up at the crosswalk at North Broadway and Market Street, preventing traffic from entering the area.
Police said the man has been holding the woman since around 5:30 am. Negotiations for her release are ongoing.
Authorities have asked people to avoid the area if possible.
This is a developing story.