An 18-year-old man who allegedly broke into a relative’s home near South Osage Street in East Amarillo and threatened violence was captured Friday night near Bell Street, a few blocks from Avondale Elementary School, after a two-hour search, police said.
Officers were called at 7:02 p.m. Sept. 19 to a residence in the 2100 block of Savoy Street after a report of someone forcing entry, according to the Amarillo Police Department. While on the way, officers learned the suspect was related to people inside the home and had made threats to harm them and law enforcement.
Police surrounded the house and called in the department’s Critical Incident Response Team. Before officers entered, the man ran from the home. Negotiators attempted to speak with him while officers searched the neighborhood.
Investigators determined the man had been driven to a house in the 1500 block of Smiley Street. Officers secured that location and again made phone contact with the man. He eventually left the area and was located near Bell Street, where officers took him into custody without incident.
Derek Melendez, 18, was booked into the Randall County Jail on a charge of burglary of a habitation, police said.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: APD: Man, 18, arrested near Bell Street after East Amarillo break-in