Suspect in custody, hostages safe following standoff at St. Paul gas station
A hostage situation Tuesday afternoon on St. Paul’s east side has ended, and a suspect was taken into custody, police said.
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A KSTP crew captured a large police presence at the Speedway gas station at East Seventh Street and Johnson Parkway.
St. Paul Police say after 3:00 PM, police responded to a call of a woman inside the gas station with a gun threatening others.
Multiple people were inside the store when the police arrived.
A SWAT team tried for about one hour to establish communication with the suspect for about one hour. At around 4:15 PM, police heard a suspected gunshot and the SWAT team went inside the gas station.
St. Paul Police arrested a female suspect, later identified as Kanisha Deon Wiggins, 31, of St. Paul. Wiggins was taken into custody without force.
Police squad cars are parked outside a Speedway during a hostage situation on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in St. Paul.
According to Minnesota court records, Wiggins has no prior convictions in the state, only traffic violations.
Wiggins has been booked into Ramsey County jail for kidnapping, threats of violence, and second-degree assault.
Police confirmed all four hostages inside were located, and no one was injured.
“Thankfully none of them were injured – I can’t imagine what these victims felt like today,” Sergeant Natalie Davis, with the SPPD, said. “We are so grateful that they all get to go home uninjured to their families and loved ones.”
KSTP spoke with Tauheedeh Partlow, who says her Aunt was inside the gas station when the incident started.
“[It’s] very scary,” Partlow said. “You’re coming in there for ice and then your life is at jeopardy,” she added.
Partlow was nearby in her car while the hostage situation unfolded.
“They rushed in, [and] we heard like a big boom, three shots fired off, and that was about it,” Partlow told KSTP.