WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - West Valley City Police spent about seven hours Tuesday trying to get a barricaded man out of his home. During that time a nearby elementary school was put on lockdown.
Police eventually arrested 36-year-old Robert Browne after he surrendered.
Police say Browne’s roommates called 911 after allegedly being threatened with a knife by the suspect. Officers arrived shortly after 11 a.m. at 5920 W. Nugget Drive where Browne barricaded himself inside.
Officers say they got the roommates out of the house through a window. Police made an unsuccessful attempt around 1 p.m. to get the suspect out of the house.
They tried again at about 4 p.m.
“At that time, this individual’s pit bull attacked our officers,” said West Valley Police Lt. Scott Buchanan. “One of our officers was bitten and at least one officer fired shots and the dog was hit and killed.”
After more negotiations, Browne turned himself in just before 7 p.m.
Parents and legal guardians of the students at Hillside Elementary School were asked to pick up their students after school Tuesday afternoon when the school was placed on lockdown.
The standoff was two blocks away from Hillside Elementary.
Granite School District released the following statement:
Dear Hillside Elementary Patrons:
We have two issues facing our school community this afternoon. First, along with many area residents, we have experienced a loss of power to our school. Rocky Mountain Power is working to restore our power ASAP.
In addition to this issue, around 12:45 p.m. this afternoon, law enforcement officials placed our school on lockdown as a precautionary measure due to
a suspect in the neighborhood east of the school who has barricaded himself within a home.At this time, there is no direct threat to the safety of our students and the lockdown is simply a precautionary measure to ensure our students safety. However, because this law enforcement situation is ongoing, we need our parents assistance to get our students home safely.
When school ends at 3:45 p.m. today, we are asking all parents to either come to the school and escort your student home directly, or have an emergency contact pick up your child for you. We will not release any students out of the school unless they are escorted by a parent or emergency contact.
PLEASE DO NOT COME TO THE CAMPUS PREVIOUS TO THE END OF SCHOOL AT 3:45 p.m. as we will not be releasing students early due to the lockdown. Granite Police officers are on site and will be providing additional assistance when school lets out. Once again, this is a precautionary measure to ensure student safety.
Law enforcement has indicated that SEP conferences can continue as scheduled this afternoon and evening.
We are continuing to work through the end of the school day to offset the impacts of these issues to the best of our ability. Please be assured that your student’s safety is our primary concern.
Thank you for your assistance in getting our students home safely today.
Because the power is out at the school, please contact the district communications office at 385-646-4529 if you have any questions.
