Amarillo SWAT Called Out for Another Criminal Barricaded in House

Over the weekend the Amarillo Police Department proved just how important it is to have a Critical Incident Response Team in place for our City.

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Early Sunday Morning, September 17, 2023, at 2:38, the Amarillo Police Department responded to a call to a residence in the 4300 Block of Polk.  A wanted male barricaded himself inside the home and refused to come out.  The APD called in their Critical Incident Response team.  The area was blocked off to ensure the safety of the area.

At 8 a.m., after negotiators were unable to contact the suspect by phone, the SWAT used a drone and released a chemical agent into the home.  After releasing the chemical, the APD SWAT team determined that the suspect was not inside the home.

According to the APD, the situation was resolved and the area was opened to normal traffic.

In August, the Amarillo Police Department's CIRT team was called to an incident at a local motel, where a suspect had barricaded themselves into a room.  The APD was trying to serve a felony parole violation warrant.   The team also used a drone and chemical agents.  Unfortunately, in that instance after entering the room they found the suspect deceased.

According to the 2022 Annual Report, the Amarillo Police Department responded to 15 critical incident callouts.  In those indicents most were persons barricading themselves in a house or other area.   Chemical agents were used in 3 of those calls.