"Suicidal" man forces 100 to flee from Roseville hotel during police standoff

The man barricaded himself inside his room before surrendering.

​More than 100 people staying at a Residence Inn in Roseville were evacuated Sunday as police held a standoff with a suicidal man whom they believed might have weapons, according to the Pioneer Press.

The hotel, located near the County Road D exit off of I-35W, was cleared when the suspected "suicidal" person was described as being ex-military, and possibly armed. Police were told the man might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

After a standoff of several hours, SWAT team negotiators were able to convince the man to surrender around 2 a.m. on Sunday. The man was taken to a hospital, and no charges have yet been filed.

If in fact the man was armed, Sunday night's standoff would be the second metro-area standoff in the first week of August: On Tuesday, Nathan Kluessendorf, 22, fired at police from inside a St. Paul Park home until he was shot by a Washington County SWAT team sniper.

The first reports about Saturday's incident in Roseville came late Saturday night, describing a man with a military background threatening suicide, the Pioneer Press reports. Police evacuated 50 hotel rooms, telling customers to wait in the lobby or in buses outside.

When police found him, the man resisted them and barricade himself inside his hotel room, leaving one cop with a minor arm injury.

East Metro and Ramsey County SWAT teams were called to the hotel, and negotiators convinced the man to give himself up peacefully early  Wednesday morning. Police have not confirmed if the man actually had weapons inside his hotel room.