A SWAT standoff involving an armed suspect who held two people hostage inside a restaurant in the Midway District ended peacefully Thursday evening.
SDPD was first called to a reported armed robbery from inside a Subway restaurant at 3146 Sports Arena Blvd. just before 3 p.m.
When officers arrived they saw a man inside holding a knife to another man who appeared to be an employee, according to SDPD Lt. Shawn Takeuchi.
Officers then retreated a set up a premier, and SWAT, Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT) units and SDPD's Emergency Negotiation Team (ENT) were called to the scene, according to SDPD.
A short time later, two employees who had been held hostage inside for about a half-hour were able to escape the building uninjured, Lt. Takeuchi said.
The department tweeted at around 5:10 p.m. that the suspect was taken into custody peacefully. Lt. Takeuchi said the suspect called 911 during the standoff and was in contact with police negotiators.
SDPD identified the suspect as 38-year-old Benny Mora.
The incident worsened traffic in an area where evening congestion is already tough. The 3100 block of Sports Arena Boulevard was closed in both directions, affecting traffic on Camino Del Rio W. and Rosecrans Street to the east.
SDPD said the closure would last until around 6:15 p.m. The public was asked to avoid the area.
Check back for updates on this breaking news story.
