ksl.SALT LAKE CITY – The escaped Idaho inmate suspected of robbing a Salt Lake City bank is now in the custody of Salt Lake Police after a 12 hour standoff.
Police say they believed Joe Dee Stang, 45, took a woman hostage Friday night at the All Star Travel Motor Hotels at 754 W. North Temple in Salt Lake City. When officers took Stang into custody no hostage was found
Police, SWAT teams and FBI officials blocked off a section of North Temple in Salt Lake as they attempt to diffuse the hostage situation, which began around 8:30 p.m. Friday.
"They just said that they had an arrest warrant for him, he was holding a hostage, so that's when it got kind of hairy. They're over there now," said Joe Esquivel, manager of the All Star Travel Motor Hotels.
Police evacuated that motel and several surrounding businesses, including the Red Iguana restaurant next door. Officials said they were concerned that if the man fired his gun, bullets could go through walls and into neighboring businesses.
"They told me to evacuate the desk, and they're going through all the rooms to make sure nobody's there," Esquivel said. "They told me to evacuate the office area, make sure there's no bullets going through, make sure everybody's okay."
Police believe the gunman is Joe Dee Stang, who escaped from a work-release program in early July and is being sought in connection with Thursday's robbery of a Salt Lake City Zions Bank branch. Authorities have known Stang was armed and possibly in the area.
Some individuals who were evacuated from the motel said they got a sudden knock on the door followed by police telling them to immediately leave the area. One woman saw an officer with a gun behind a car as she was being evacuated.
Stay with KTVB and KTVB.COM for more on this story as it develops.
