Suspect arrested after SWAT standoff at a home in south Moorhead that suspect has no ties to

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — A standoff that blocked traffic and drew a massive law enforcement presence to the scene in south Moorhead through much of the morning is finally over with a suspect in custody.

The sheriff ordered neighbors to shelter in place after the suspect broke into a stranger’s home there, with two people inside.

Most everyone out here in this usually quiet neighborhood on the metro’s south side says this whole situation seemed to come out of nowhere.

A man who works in the church behind me says he came in right around the 8 a.m. hour, perfectly normal, quiet Monday morning.

He looked up again a few minutes later and the area was absolutely swarming with law enforcement.

Multiple agencies from a variety of metro area agencies are here, including Fargo Police, Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting says his deputy tried to pull over the suspect headed in on County 12 shortly after eight, but the suspect took off instead, and that’s when things took a turn for the dramatic.

They used the stop sticks to disable the car, and that’s when he fled through the field, ditching a backpack along the way.

Empting won’t say whether the explosives K9 they brought in hit on the backpack, but that’s what led to three perimeters being established: the car, the backpack, and finally this house where the suspect ran to.

Because when he got inside, there were already inhabitants in there too — and he doesn’t appear to be connected to them or the home.

“They don’t know him, as a matter of fact they didn’t even see him or know he was in the house until we made contact with them. we did get them out, they’re safe and we have him contained,” said Empting.

Obviously it’s very positive that they got them out without injury, and things are starting to go back to normal out here now.

You can see construction workers heading back to the job, the church back open for business — but there are still plenty of questions now from neighbors, as well as the broader community.

SWAT team members got into the house and got the suspect out.

He was taken to the hospital and found to be uninjured.

His identity has not been released.