DES MOINES, Iowa — The Polk County Sheriff's Office says a man who fled a traffic stop and shot at a deputy before barricading himself inside a hotel is now in custody.
Officials have identified the suspect as 42-year-old Scott Eugene Smith of Des Moines. The scene was at the Budget Inn & Suites hotel in the 5200 block of NE 14th Street in Des Moines.
Smith was arrested for an outstanding warrant and taken into custody without incident following the nearly four hour standoff.
Capt. Ryan Evans with the sheriff's office told Local 5 a traffic stop was conducted around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, when the driver got out of the car and "fired a few rounds" at a deputy. He barricaded himself in the hotel for several hours before being taken into custody Tuesday afternoon.
Along with a theft charge, traffic offense and several narcotics charges, Smith faces:
- Attempted Murder
- Felon in Possession of a Firearm
- Interference with Official Acts
Read the full release below:
No injuries have been reported from the incident.
The sheriff's office had asked the public to avoid the area on NE 14th Street between NE 51st and NE 54th Avenue during the standoff.
The Saydel Community School District was in a Shelter in Place status but was cleared to dismiss students at the end of the day, the district said.
"We will have law enforcement on site to assist with after-school pick-up. Along with this update, we will be canceling all after-school activities and Eagles Nest," Saydel CSD said.
Previous updates from the Saydel Community School District
Saydel CSD Update #2 (Tuesday afternoon)
"Saydel Families;
In updating our Shelter In Place message sent earlier, we wanted to update our families. The threat in our area is isolated at the Budget Inn off of 14th Street and law enforcement is still managing the issue. With that said, we are currently Sheltering in Place which is an external lockdown. Students are allowed to move about inside the building, hence going to classes, while the permiteres are secured. We are still not allowing anyone in or out of the buildings until the Shelter In Place command has been lifted. As mentioned in the last correspondence, there have been no reports of direct threats encroaching on our school property or inside our schools buildings. Staff is doing an amazing job ensuring kids are safe, being fed, and are being attended to as we navigate through this event. We will let the community know when the lockdown procedures have been lifted."
Saydel CSD Update #1 (Tuesday morning)
"Saydel Families;
We wanted to send a quick message to let all families know that the Polk County Sheriff's office notified us of an incident in the area triggering a precautionary external lockdown for all Saydel Schools. Information we have received is vague and we are awaiting additional directives to ensure we maintain the safety of our students and staff. Please know we have no reports of any threats directly in our schools and we are locking down to maintain safe and secure perimeters as a precautionary measure. At this time, we are asking that all parents hold off on coming to school as per our safety protocols, we are not allowing people to enter or exit until we formally end the lockdown. Lastly, we will follow up as soon as we have additional news to share and/or when we are notified to end our external lockdown procedures. "
WATCH: Capt. Ryan Evans describes events leading up to standoff with suspect barricaded inside hotel