WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – A six-hour standoff centered on a 16-year-old runaway came to an end early Wednesday after a SWAT team used tear gas and entered a Winter Garden home.
The standoff began Tuesday night at a home on Scarlet Oak Loop in the Tucker Oaks Condos, prompting officials to force nearby families out of their homes.
An arrest report said Michael Hankins' roommate called authorities about Hankins' whereabouts, adding that he was "crazy" and would not surrender easily.
According to officials, officers tried to serve a warrant on the 38-year-old Hankins, who was believed to have information about the missing teen girl's whereabouts.
Hankins barricaded himself inside the home, according to officials, who tried to negotiate with him.
"We started to hear the SWAT team make announcements," said Robin King who lives nearby. "[They said] who they were, and who they were looking for and to come out."
After nearly seven hours, the SWAT team used tear gas and entered the home around 2 a.m., according to officials, who said Hankins was found hiding in a closet. The missing girl was not in the home.
Hankins was arrested and taken to jail.
Police said the teen ran away on Sept. 26 and was reported missing three days later. No other information about the missing girl was released by authorities.