A person called 911 to report that a woman with a gun was threatening people inside an East Side gas station Tuesday afternoon—and the incident quickly became a hostage situation.
Officers responded to the store on the 800 block of Johnson Parkway (at the intersection of Johnson Parkway and Seventh Street East) at 3:10 p.m. and began to secure the scene. A short time later, Saint Paul Police Department crisis negotiators and members of the SWAT team arrived.
As Saint Paul Fire medics staged a short distance away, officers worked for about an hour to establish contact with the suspect. At about 4:15 p.m., officers reported hearing at least gunshot from inside the store, and the SWAT team made an emergency entry to rescue hostages and render aid to any victims.
The suspect, Kanisha Deon Wiggins, 31, of Saint Paul, Minn., was taken into custody without force. Four hostages were located and taken to safety.
No injuries were reported.
The suspect was booked into the Ramsey County jail for threats of violence, second-degree assault and kidnapping.