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Standoff ends peacefully after 8 hours

For Immediate Release : Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Release Number: 21-087

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Standoff ends peacefully after 8 hours

A standoff between the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and an armed man barricaded with two family members in a hotel ended peacefully after more than 8 hours of negotiations.
 
At 11:14 p.m. on April 11, 2021, the HCSO Communications Bureau received a phone call from a complainant in reference to a barricaded subject with two family members inside a room at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, located at 6902 Hillsborough Avenue. The complainant also advised the man, Victor Hernandez, 53, had a small firearm in his possession. Hernandez was in town from his residence in North Carolina.
 
HCSO's SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) were later activated to assist with the investigation. For more than eight hours, SWAT and CNT attempted to make contact with Hernandez, but he ignored the multiple calls and announcements made to him. Multiple gunshots were fired from inside of the room, including one toward deputies outside of the hotel room. No deputies returned fire. One deputy has a minor laceration to the face due to shrapnel.
 
Around 7:45 a.m., Hernandez came out of the hotel room and surrendered to deputies without incident. The two family members who were inside the room with Hernandez were also unharmed.
 
"This investigation was a complete team effort," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "All of our units worked tirelessly and in tandem to bring this incident to a peaceful ending during the hours-long investigation. I also want to thank Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for their assistance during our investigation."
 
Deputies found evidence that Hernandez tried to start a fire inside the hotel room. The investigation is active and ongoing.  
 
Approximately, 50-60 people were evacuated from the hotel as a precautionary measure during the course of the investigation.