Man Updates Facebook During 16 Hour Standoff
A Utah man stymied police officers for over 16 hours during hostage situation, while updating his Facebook status and getting information from his Facebook friends that helped him.
Jason Alverez, 36, held a woman at gunpoint during an overnight hostage situation at a Salt Lake City hotel. He had barricaded himself in the hotel with the hostage after officers attempted to serve him with a drug warrant.
The SWAT team surrounded the building in an attempt to coax him out. The whole time however Alverez was updating his Facebook page.
“I’m currently in a standoff … kinda ugly, but ready for whatever,” Valdez wrote in his first post. “I love u guyz and if I don’t make it out of here alive that I’m in a better place and u were all great friends.”
Valdez later posted two pictures of himself and the alleged hostage with a cation saying
“Got a cute `Hostage’ huh”.
After a friend noted that a SWAT team member was hiding in some brush, Alvarez posted:
“Thank you homie. Good looking out.”
During the standoff, Alvarez made a total of six new posts and added several friends.
In the last post, Alvarez wrote:
“Well i was lettin this girl go but these dumb bastards made an attempt to come in after i told them not to, so i popped off a couple more shots and now were startin all over again it seems …”
Several minutes later the SWAT team stormed the building and Alvarez reportedly shot himself with the handgun.
He was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.
He now faces a slew of new charges stemming from the kidnapping.
Police are discussing whether to charge some of Alvarez’s Facebook friends with obstruction of justice.
