SALT LAKE CITY — Police responded to an apartment complex in Salt Lake City Monday after they say a man held his wife against her will, leading to multiple evacuations.
About 10 a.m., the man, whose identity has not been released, kidnapped his wife and held her hostage in an apartment near 1011 S. West Temple, according to Salt Lake Police Sgt. Keith Horrocks.
The woman was able to escape to a neighbor’s house. However, the man followed her, “kicking in a door,” Horrocks said, which prompted residents to call police at about 10:20 a.m.
When police arrived, witnesses said they saw the man, who Horrocks said had two handguns, go into the apartment, and they didn’t see him leave, leading officers to believe he had barricaded himself.
Police then set up a containment area, evacuating residents from the apartment complex and other nearby buildings, and calling in a SWAT team.
Numerous attempts to contact the man via bullhorn and phone were unsuccessful because, Horrocks said, the man was not actually barricaded in the apartment.
Bountiful police contacted Salt Lake police that afternoon, saying they had located the man in a different location, Horrocks said.
“Our officers were able to respond to that location, verify that that was the suspect we were looking for,” he said.
The man was then taken to a nearby hospital. It is unclear whether he had been arrested Monday.
After clearing the apartment where the woman was allegedly being held hostage, police say they were able to lift the evacuation order.
Salt Lake Police Lt. Mike Hatch told the Deseret News that a gun and ammunition was recovered from the apartment.
Police say the woman did not sustain any injuries.
Additional information about the events leading up to the kidnapping and the condition of the man were not immediately available.
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly stated that the man had been arrested Monday. The Deseret News has not been able to confirm this.
