A 36-hour standoff between an armed woman and police that blocked part of a major highway in Alexandria, Virginia, ended shortly after midnight Thursday with the woman’s arrest.
Video from the scene showed the woman walk over to police and surrender, according to local NBC affiliate WRC-TV. She was then put in an ambulance and taken to a hospital.
It’s not clear if she’s been charged. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told The Sports Junkies on WJFK radio Thursday morning that the woman was being investigated for abduction and possession of a firearm.
The chief called the conclusion of the standoff the “best possible outcome.”
The situation began Tuesday around 11 a.m. when police in Maryland asked Fairfax County cops to do a wellness check at a Richmond Highway motel in relation to a woman who went missing last week.
That’s where they found 25-year-old Lauren Kingsbury of Laurel, Maryland, who told police she had been abducted. She stood near the motel as her alleged kidnapper fled in a black SUV, flashing a gun as authorities pulled her vehicle over.
A brief chase ensued before the woman stopped along Richmond Highway and barricaded herself in the SUV.
The suspect was also listed as a missing person. Ms. Kingsbury and the suspect were in a relationship, and Ms. Kingsbury described the woman as suicidal, according to WTOP.
Fairfax County police are expected to hold a press conference about the incident Thursday afternoon.
