Sioux Falls Police arrest man for assaulting, threatening 2 women after hours-long standoff
Officials with the Sioux Falls Police Department have arrested a 30-year-old man they say assaulted and threatened two women with a handgun in their residence early Thursday morning, following an hours-long standoff.
The call came in at 1:15 a.m. for an incident in the 100 Block of E 38th St in Sioux Falls. The situation was resolved at about 11 a.m., when police made the arrest of Thomas Skager Alexander.
The suspect, who is a relative of the two victims living at the residence, showed up at their home and forced himself inside, according to department spokesperson Sam Clemens.
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Once inside, he assaulted one woman by punching and kicking her, and threatened the other after he managed to get a hold of a handgun. The threatened woman was able to reach a secure location inside the residence and inform the police, who arrived and got both victims out of the house.
Clemens said the SWAT team and negotiators were activated at this point, once it was only the suspect in the house. An unmanned aircraft system and drones were some of the tools used by authorities to get pictures of the outside of the home, Clemens said.
The two women went to the hospital, where the one who was assaulted is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, said Clemens. The other woman is not reported to have any serious injuries, he said.
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South Phillips Avenue from West 41st Street to West 37th Street and auxiliary streets in the area were closed off during the developing “police situation,” as Clemens said.
The suspect, who is from Sioux Falls, was arrested by the SWAT team when he was found hiding inside the home after they were up all night on this call. He has been charged with first degree burglary, aggravated assault domestic, simple assault domestic, interference with emergency communication and intentional damage to property.
Authorities are currently processing the suspect and determining his charges.
Details on whether authorities used non-lethal force to remove the man will not be available to the public until next week, because city offices are closed Friday for the Christmas holiday and SWAT officials at the incident are now off-duty after working through the night, Clemens said.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Hours-long standoff ends with man's arrest for assault in Sioux Falls
