Barricaded situation ends after man surrenders to police

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)  Police blocked off the street near the corner of Lafayette and Pettit as they worked what was considered a barricaded situation at the 500 block of Pettit Ave.

According to Public Information Officer Raquel Foster, at about 6:00 a.m. 33 year old Michael Edmondson, of Fort Wayne, knocked on the door of a house he used to live at and had been evicted from. Police said he was evicted several months ago.

He asked the current occupants of the home if he could get his things. The occupants told the man his stuff wasn’t there and asked him to leave. Police said he left quietly.

Officials said Edmondson then returned around 9:00 a.m., walked through the unlocked doors of the house and locked himself inside with the current occupants.

Police said there were two teenage girls inside the house when Edmondson entered, but they were able to escape once he gained entry.

Officials treated the scene as a hostage situation. One neighbor happened to witness the event while coming back from the store.

"I went to the store, came back from the store and police kept coming," said a man that identifies himself as "Mack". "So, I said I might as well go get my camera and see what's going on."

Foster said once officers were on scene, they tried to communicate with Edmondson, but he didn't want to speak with investigators. She said they used a loud speaker to communicate to him. The lack of communication made it difficult to find out what Edmondson wanted and what he had.

"We really didn't know what his intent is, we don't know if he has any weapons on him, we don't know what his mental state is," she said.

Edmondson surrendered himself to officials around 11:45 a.m. Police said he was unarmed.

Police said he could be charged with residential entry, a Class D felony.