KISSIMMEE, FL – A tense five-hour standoff at a Kissimmee motel ended peacefully Monday evening when deputies with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man who had barricaded himself inside a room with a 74-year-old woman.
Just before noon on October 13, deputies responded to reports of a domestic dispute at the Heritage Park Inn, located at 2050 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway. Investigators learned that two men had been involved in a violent altercation inside one of the motel rooms.
According to the victim, the suspect had restrained, beaten, and cut him with a knife the night before. The victim managed to escape and call for help. He was treated at a hospital for visible injuries and later released.
After the victim fled, the suspect barricaded himself in the room with a 74-year-old female family friend, refusing to let her leave. Deputies and members of the Osceola County SWAT Team established a perimeter, while hostage negotiators spent more than five hours working to calm the situation.
During negotiations, the suspect asked for a pizza and a wheelchair for the woman, which deputies delivered. With assistance from the Orange County SWAT Team, law enforcement used a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) to encourage surrender.
At around 5:45 p.m., the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Mark Anthony Vazquez, surrendered without incident. The woman was safely escorted out of the room.
Vazquez was arrested and charged with Aggravated Battery and Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Additional charges may follow as the investigation continues. He was booked into the Osceola County Jail.
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