Four people were arrested and charged after a SWAT standoff ended peacefully in Northeast Austin Tuesday morning.
It happened inside a house in the 11700 block of Rotherham Drive near Shropshire and Dessau.
It began just before 2:00am on Tuesday at I-35 and Saint John's. Police say a patrol officer on duty ran the license plates on a car and realized it was stolen.
The driver however didn't pull over, instead they took off. Within minutes other officers were in pursuit and the APD helicopter was overhead. The pilot followed the driver into the neighborhood off Dessau Road several miles away.
That’s where police say the driver parked, got out and ran into the house. The SWAT team was called out when the driver refused to follow officers’ demands to come out.
“They could see movement inside the house. The blinds were opening and closing,” said Cpl. Scott Perry of APD.
Police set up road blocks on Shropshire and Rotherham and evacuated several nearby homes.
Nearly four hours later, around 5:30am, police say someone in the house called 9-1-1 and spoke with the SWAT negotiator. Seven people in the house, including an adult female and six teenagers, one female; five males, came out peacefully.
Austin police say Timothy Franks, 18, was driving the car and was charged with evading arrest, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a crash.
Seventeen-year-olds Donovan Thomas, Dorrian Thomas and Frederick Goss were charged with hindering apprehension.
