SLIDELL, La. — Two young children are safe after a nearly four hour hostage standoff in Slidell Friday evening.
Police responded to a welfare check in the 700 block of Pine Tree Street around 4:30 Friday afternoon, where they say 34-year-old Thomas Wells was making homicidal and suicidal threats while two young children were inside the same residence.
When officers arrived on the scene, Wells barricaded himself inside of the residence and took the two children as hostages, refusing to let them leave the residence. The Slidell Police S.W.A.T. team, along with hostage negotiators, responded to the scene.
After a nearly four-hour standoff, negotiators were able to assist with the children’s safe release, and the S.W.A.T. team successfully took Wells into custody. The incident ended around 9:40 Friday night.
Wells was taken to a hospital to be treated for CS gas exposure, with criminal charges pending against him.
Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal praised his team, and credited negotiators on their handling of the situation.
“This incident was mentally and physically draining on everyone involved, especially since it involved children. There were some tense moments throughout the standoff, but our highly trained negotiators and tactical officers handled the situation by preserving life and making sure everyone went home safe. This situation could haven’t had a much different ending, but at the end of the day, the good guys won," Fandal said.
The incident is still under investigation.