FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Fort Collins Police Services SWAT Team arrested a man after he allegedly held a woman hostage inside a home in Fort Collins on Friday.
Officers were called out to a home in the 700 block of Bear Creek Drive Friday for reports of a possible hostage situation. According to Fort Collins police, a man called 911 and told the dispatcher that he had a hostage. A woman could reportedly be heard in the background asking for help.
The man told the dispatcher that he was armed with a weapon and threatened to kill the woman, according to police.
The department’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team responded to the scene, and a reverse 911 alert was issued to nearby residents.
Crisis negotiators tried to get the man to release the woman, but eventually, SWAT officers made their way inside the home, according to Fort Collins police.
The woman was treated for serious injuries. The man, later identified as Erik Dunning, was arrested for several charges, including:
- First-degree assault (Class 3 felony)
- Second-degree kidnapping (Class 3 felony)
- False imprisonment (Class 5 felony)
- Failure or refusal to leave premise – hostage (Class 4 felony)
- Obstructing a police officer
- Resisting arrest
“We want Fort Collins residents to know that hostage situations in this city are extremely rare. It is the high level of training and professionalism of Fort Collins Police Officers that resulted in the safe rescuing of this hostage and taking this suspect into custody. Our Detectives will now work with the District Attorney’s Office in the prosecution of this incident,” said Lieutenant Sara Lynd in a statement.
According to Fort Collins police, Dunning and the woman knew each other.
