Orem police end standoff with five in custody
Orem Police Lt. Doug Edwards said about 2 a.m. Thursday three men described as black or Polynesian males entered a north Orem home through an unlocked door.
Once inside, they used a baseball bat to beat five people who were asleep, Edwards said.
Police have found the car they suspect belongs to the trio and through that were able to track down at least one of the men, who barricaded himself in an apartment near 1200 W. 675 North, Edwards said.
Officers in camouflage surrounded the apartment during the standoff.
One of the men has a $250,000 aggravated robbery warrant out of Salt Lake City, Edwards said.
During the home robbery, one occupant resisted and he received a severe cut to the head, Edwards said.
The victims were then forced to crawl into the living room where one of the men held a gun to their heads, threatening to kill them, Edwards said.
The trio also demanded drugs and money and threatened the home occupants that if they reported the robbery they would be killed.
"They're really scared," Edwards said. "They were threatened with death if they went to the police."
Two of the men ransacked the house for electronics before all three took off.
The victims drove to the hospital, where they received numerous stitches, Edwards said. They then contacted police with the descriptions of the men and the vehicle.
Later Thursday morning, Edwards said police officers from Utah Valley University recognized the car and its occupants from the description and started to follow them.
Realizing they were being followed, the driver took off, the car was eventually abandoned and the men fled on foot, Edwards said.
In the car, police found a bloodied bat, a handgun and the items matching those taken from the house.
Even though officers found the handgun in the car, they took every precaution with this situation, Edwards said.
"We don't know what they have in there," Edwards said.
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