The Austin Police Department SWAT team is currently at a standstill at a medical center in downtown Austin, Texas, which started around 4:30 pm
At least one doctor is detained inside the building, reports KVUE. The father of a patient at the medical center told Fox News that his doctor is being held in the building.
Police are talking to the suspect, who also appears to be a doctor, through a megaphone, according to KVUE. The witness also told Fox News that the suspect is a doctor.
“You don’t deserve to go through this … for everything you’ve done for others … that’s why I want to help you solve this,” reports the local media that a police officer said through a megaphone to suspect. “You saved many lives.”
On a 911 call about the 4:30 pm incident, the suspect was reported to have entered the office and taken one or more hostages at gunpoint, FOX 7 in Austin reported.
In a 9 pm update, a FOX 7 reporter said a witness said that everyone inside the doctor’s office was taken hostage by the suspect, but he let at least three people go immediately.
“When I arrived at the scene, I saw a woman being escorted by the police out of the recorded area where she was received and hugged by a child. And that is what we have seen in the last few hours: several people being taken out and handed over to what we can only assume are loved ones “, reported Amanda Ruiz of FOX 7.
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Police officers escorted at least one woman in uniform away from the building, but it is not clear whether she has already been held hostage, reports KXAN.
An official also said through the megaphone: “Everything that is happening tonight does not diminish anything that you have achieved as a doctor,” according to KEYE-TV reporter Melanie Barden.
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Police have evacuated homes in the area around 1900 block on W 35th Street and are asking the public to stay away.