VIDEO: Phoenix Police Ram Kidnapping House
A Phoenix Police Department armored tactical vehicle rammed a house where a kidnapping suspect held at least five people hostage Tuesday to help end a standoff that began Monday night.
The man, believed to be 32-year-old Israel Celis, was found dead inside the home and a woman and child were rescued, reports the Arizona Republic.
Police responded to the home near 91st Avenue and Camelback Road Monday evening, following an Amber Alert about the kidnapping. Celis had reportedly met his estranged wife at a motel where he duct-taped the woman and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint. Celis then took off with the boy, reports Fox News. Celis barricaded himself in the bedroom of the home with two adults and three children.
During negotiations with Celis, police were able to obtain the release of several of the hostages. At one point, Celis reportedly fired at officers with an AK-47 rifle, a law enforcement source told PoliceMag.com.
By Tuesday morning, the Phoenix PD's Special Assignment Unit brought its Lenco armored vehicle to the home. Officers used the vehicle to ram two areas of the house's front wall. The two remaining hostages then exited the home. That's when police found the suspect dead in the home.
