GREENWOOD VILLAGE — A Greenwood Village standoff ended Thursday morning after he spent more than 18 hours holed up inside a home he chose at random while trying to get away from police.
Officials said the man was taken into custody peacefully about 9 a.m. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation, authorities said.
Authorities identified the man as Robert Jonathon Seacat, 32, of Denver.
“We couldn’t even open the window,” said Mazen Alaswad, who was stuck in his home next door for the duration of the standoff.
Alaswad said he had no electricity, running water or Internet after it was shut off by tactical units trying to get the man out of his neighbor’s home.
“We just heard explosions and gunshots,” he said.
A photo of the home that was commandeered by the suspect showed heavy damage to the front, with part of the outer wall missing.
The incident began when Aurora police responded to a shoplifting report at a Walmart at 9400 East Hampden Ave.
When police arrived on the shoplifting call, Seacat was fleeing in a vehicle which officers followed to a nearby light rail station, where the suspect ditched the car and took off on foot.
When Seacat entered Greenwood Village, that city’s agency took over, said Greenwood Village Police Chief John Jackson.
Seacat somehow got inside a home on the 4200 block of South Alton Street at about 2 p.m. Jackson said he randomly selected the home and was looking for a vehicle to escape in.
A 9-year-old boy was alone inside the home at the time. He ran out unharmed, authorities say.
At one point, police say Seacat fired shots through the home’s garage.
After several hours of negotiations, officials sent a special police team into the house, Greenwood Village said in a news release. Seacat fire at officers,who ultimately took him into custody.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
