(4:05 p.m. Friday) One man is dead after a high-speed chase and crash, and two suspects are holed up in a Billings West End home with possible hostages Friday afternoon, according to Police Chief Rich St. John.
Billings hostage negotiators are currently in contact as of 4 p.m. with the two suspects, a male and a female, who broke into a residence on the 4000 block of Ridgewood Lane South with the residents inside, St. John said at a briefing Friday afternoon.
The incident began around 2 p.m. near Laurel, when a Montana Highway Patrol trooper began pursuing a van driven by one of the suspects, St. John said. The man is possibly connected to the recent shooting of woman at a residence on King Avenue East, he said.
The van fled east into Billings and crashed at a roundabout on Shiloh Crossing Boulevard near the corner of 43rd Street West and Avenue E. The two suspects fled the crash and were seen checking front doors in the neighborhood before they found one unlocked, St. John said.
Police discovered a body in the van at the crash scene but are uncertain whether the man died in the crash or before, St. John said.
Negotiators are in contact with the people inside the house and have brought the suspects food and cigarettes, he said.
“Emotions are probably running very high right now,” he said.
St. John said he will provide another briefing later in the day; we will update you as we get more information.
(1st REPORT, 2:40 p.m.) A large law enforcement presence has gathered for a possible standoff on Ridgewood Lane South in west Billings Friday afternoon.
The Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, Montana Highway Patrol troopers and Billings police are on the scene.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
