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SALT LAKE CITY — A man wanted for allegedly kidnapping a woman was taken into custody Monday following a standoff with a SWAT team.
About 1:15 p.m., officers took a man into custody after shooting canisters of tear gas into the house near 400 South and 1000 West. The man, who was wearing a red shirt, eventually came out and was handcuffed before Salt Lake fire crews used a hose to wash the gas out of his eyes.
Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking said SWAT team members did a final sweep of the house to make sure no one else was hiding inside. Once the house was cleared and it was determined no one else was there, the standoff was declared resolved just before 3 p.m.
The incident began about 7:30 a.m. when a woman who claimed she had been kidnapped managed to escape, Wilking said. The woman ran to nearby Franklin Elementary School, 1115 W. 300 South, for help. Police were called and took the woman to a nearby police substation.
By 11 a.m., a SWAT team had surrounded the residence where the alleged kidnapper was believed to be hiding and where the kidnapping allegedly took place.
Six people came out and were rounded up and questioned by investigators. But the main target of the investigation was still inside.
By 12:50 p.m., SWAT team members began firing tear gas canisters into the home. A short time later, the seventh individual came out. Police identified him as 34-year-old Casey Ray Nielsen.
Male individual getting treated and washed off by @slcfire to decontaminate from gas. pic.twitter.com/gPmf347Ixg
— SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) April 11, 2016
Nielsen was booked into jail on suspicion of rape and for outstanding warrants.
Franklin Elementary was on lockdown as a precaution Monday afternoon during the standoff. Wilking said the children were never in any danger.
Salt Lake police made no information available Monday about how long the woman was allegedly held hostage, how she escaped or if she suffered any injuries. Wilking said she was in good condition Monday afternoon and was assisting investigators.
The area from 400 South between 950 West and 1100 West, and 1000 West between 300 South and 500 South was blocked off to traffic during the incident. Residents in that area were told to shelter in place and not go outside.
Nielsen's substantial criminal history in Utah, according to court records, includes convictions for 14 drug offenses, most of them felonies, and guilty pleas to 10 drug paraphernalia charges. He was most recently charged with felony drug possession in February.
Nielsen has also previously been convicted of assault, obstructing justice, DUI, joyriding and criminal trespass.
Contributing: Ben Lockhart, Shara Park, Ashley Moser
