2 suspects in custody following more than 10-hour standoff at downtown hotel

Man surrenders to authorities after tear gas used; woman extracted out

SAN ANTONIO – Two people who sparked a more than 10-hour standoff at a downtown hotel are now in custody, authorities said.

San Antonio police, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and a SWAT team surrounded the hotel Wednesday morning after a man and a woman wanted on warrants barricaded themselves in a room, officials said.

Task Force members were trying to serve warrants around 9:30 a.m. at a Travelodge Hotel in the 1100 block of South Laredo Street, when the pair apparently saw them and locked themselves inside a room, officials said. The suspects barricaded themselves in the room with a mattress against the door, police said.

A SWAT team was dispatched to the scene. Negotiators used a loudspeaker to communicate with the pair, but no one came out of the room.

The man, Steven Brown, is wanted in an aggravated robbery Monday at a Family Dollar on Pearsall Road, and the woman, Jennifer Tran, is wanted on a robbery charge.

The suspects breached the ceiling in the room they were in and gained access to the attic and crawled across multiple rooms.

Authorities were able to locate Brown and Tran and used tear gas to coax them out of the hiding space.

Brown surrendered to police shortly after. Tran then pushed toward the attic near the entrance of the hotel.

SWAT team members extracted Tran through the stucco entrance of the hotel. Authorities said she was not trapped and was purposely staying in the space.

A fire had been reported earlier in the day at the hotel. Police believe that as the suspects breached the attic, they started a small trash-can fire as a diversion.

Authorities have not said whether the suspects were armed. A search warrant has been issued for the room they were in. Police will comb through the scene for at least two more hours to see if the suspects left anything behind.

Damage is extensive, according to police; however, a figure has not been estimated.

No shots were fired during the standoff.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story used an incorrect previous mugshot for suspect Jennifer Tran. The story has since been updated.

Standoff suspects in custody

UPDATE: Both suspects in the standoff are now in custody. STORY >> https://www.ksat.com/news/swat-surround-south-side-hotel-after-man-barricades-self

Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Wednesday, May 2, 2018

About the Authors

David Ibañez has been managing editor of KSAT.com since the website's launch in October 2000.

Ivan Herrera has worked as a journalist in San Antonio since 2016. His work for KSAT 12 and KSAT.com includes covering breaking news of the day, as well as producing Q&As and content for the "South Texas Pride" and "KSAT Money" series.

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