A 64-year-old Texas woman armed with a revolver sat in a lawn chair while pointing the gun at her head and shut down a highway during an hours-long standoff that “ended peacefully.”
The incident started around 1:30 p.m. Thursday following a crash on Interstate 45 near Houston. Officials said the woman intentionally collided with a semi-truck and tractor and then refused officers’ verbal commands when she was pulled over. She then took out a lawn chair and sat in the middle of the freeway while putting the pistol up to her head.
Negotiators and the woman’s daughter were brought to the scene to speak to the woman, who reportedly has a history of mental illness.
The situation disrupted traffic with all lanes of the interstate near the scene shut down.
After about five hours, the woman put the gun on the ground, surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody. Before she was handcuffed, she hugged the negotiators. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
“The good thing is, someone’s mother, grandmother is coming home tonight,” Harris County Sheriff’s Office Major Cedrick Collier said. “Maybe not tonight, but she’s not injured, she’s not dead. We didn’t have to use force to take her into custody. She can get the help she needs, and that’s great. That’s a win.”
