Urbana Man Surrenders to Police after Six-Hour Standoff

An Urbana man was arrested Thursday at his apartment building, after a six-hour standoff with police. 57 year old Reginald Thurston is accused of holding a woman in his apartment, and striking an officer.

The incident started shortly before noon at Steer Place, a public housing apartment building on East Harding Drive. Building management had been contacted by relatives of the woman, who they believed was with Thurston. Management then called police, saying Thurston had been belligerent and made bizarre statements.

Urbana Police say that Thurston threatened officers, and struck one of them with a length of PVC pipe after he was pepper-sprayed. Thurston then threatened officers with a pellet gun and barricaded himself and the woman in his 6th-floor apartment.

Police SWAT teams were called in to help, and negotiators spent the afternoon communicating off-and-on with Thurston. Several other residents of the building were evacuated and Harding Drive was closed to traffic.

Police say Thurston surrendered peacefully shortly after 6 PM, and the woman with him was found unharmed.

Thurston faces charges of Aggravated Battery to a Police Officer and Unlawful Restraint.