UPDATE: Armed barricade now a waiting game

UPDATE, 2:05 p.m.: The barricade drags on. A city police sergeant says "we're at a stalemate."

MANASSAS, Va. - City officials have informed its residents about an ongoing armed standoff outside Old Town Manassas.

Police sent a reverse 911 alert to residents who are signed up with the city’s Code Red system, telling them of the armed barricade situation at the Home Style Inn at 9913 Cockrell Road.

“The system can provide a map of the area and list street closures for those who may have not seen or heard about the situation on the news,” said Manassas police Sgt. Tim Neumann.

A set of double barricades were erected at Cockrell Road and Zimbro Avenue after shots were fired at the inn about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

As of 10 a.m. today, the gunman was still holed up inside the motel, alone, preventing everyone from residents to businesses owners and their employees from entering the area.

A car wash and several offices line Cockrell Road, and for some it was an unwelcomed day off from work.

“I just don’t know how they expect us to get to work and go about our day if we can’t get into the area,” said a woman who called News & Messenger’s newsroom.

And it may be many more hours before the standoff comes to an end.

Manassas authorities say it's not worth risking an officer's life if no one is being held hostage.

“Why send one of our officers into a situation where we know a man does not have a hostage, is not trying to hurt anyone but himself, does not want to live and doesn’t value life. That would be putting one of our people at risk for no reason. It’s really just a waiting game at this point, and hopefully he’ll come out of there,” said Neumann.

During the early hours of the standoff, police communicated with the man using a telephone in hopes to coax him out.

It became clear about midnight that plan wasn’t working.

Through the night, police lobbed tear gas at the suspect, who has been identified at 50-year-old John Carlson.

Carlson then allegedly fired back overnight, shooting several rounds from his semi-automatic handgun from inside the motel room.

The last known volley of tear gas was fired into the motel about 6:30 a.m., giving some indication the man was still alive.

Virginia State Police authorities have taken over the operation for now, have a SWAT team on scene that is again expected to use more tear gas, and are expected to be there for much of the day.

Their presence provides an opportunity for authorities from Manassas and Prince William County, who were on the scene all night, a much needed respite, officials said.

Officers were originally called to the inn about 5 p.m. Wednesday, after Carlson became involved in a argument with wife in the motel’s parking lot, said police. When officers arrived, they confronted Carlson about an outstanding arrest warrant from Chesapeake, where he has been convicted as a habitual DUI offender, said Neumann.

When officers asked him to come out of the room to talk about the arrest warrant, he allegedly fired a gun, shattering the room’s only window, said Neumann.

Carlson and his wife have been living at the motel on and off for about a year, police said.

After shots were fired, at least 40 people had to be evacuated from the motel.

They were provided shelter by the Red Cross, said Neumann.

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The following roads are closed due to a Manassas barricade situation now in its second day: Cockrell Road, Wellington Road between Nokesville Road and Godwin Drive and Ashton Avenue between Confederate Trail and Cockrell Road.

Armed standoff continues

MANASSAS, Va. -- John Carlson wanted to speak with his family and to drink a cold beer.

But his son said police denied him both requests Wednesday night as he remained barricaded in his room at the Homestyle Inn at 9913 Cockrell Road near Old Town Manassas. The standoff continues this morning after a long night of police lobbing tear gas into the room, and Carlson responding by firing gunshots.

It began about 5 p.m. Wednesday, after an argument between Carlson and his wife, who had both been staying at the hotel. Police allege Carlson brandished a gun, bringing police to the scene. When he saw officers, he ran inside the hotel, where he's lived with his wife off and on for the past year.

When police knocked on Carlson’s door Wednesday evening, they informed him they knew about a warrant for his arrest in Chesapeake, said Manassas police spokesman Tim Neumann.

He told them to go away, and when officers persisted, Carlson fired a shot from a handgun that shattered the room’s only window, said Neumann.

Police officers backed off, and a barricade that would last more than 15 hours, involving police SWAT teams, specialized robots and multiple canisters of tear and heat gas ensued. Shots were fired from the room at 10:45 p.m. and 3 a.m.

A concerned son
When Carlson’s 20-year-old son, Josh, learned what had happened, he rushed from his work in Haymarket to the hotel.

Josh, who asked that his last name be omitted, briefly talked to his father over the phone when he got to the scene about 8:30 p.m.

Carlson, who turns 50 years old today, seemed depressed about getting older and was making threats of suicide in the face of going back to jail. He had a warrant for his arrest in Chespeake, where he was charged with being a habitual drunken driving offender.

“He said, ‘I’ll let them kill me before they take me back to there,’” said Josh.

During their conversation, Carlson and his son got cut off.

When he tried to call Josh back from motel room, police officers surrounding the 20-year-old told him not to take the call.

Authorities seemed worried that having a conversation with his father could make an already unstable situation worse, he said.

So, he let the phone ring.

“All the man wanted to do is speak to his family and drink a beer, just one, to calm him down. And they wouldn’t even let us talk to him,” he said.

Tense night
SWAT teams spent the night surrounding the motel.

At first, police used the phone to in an attempt to coax Carlson out of his room.

Around 10:45 p.m., when it was becoming apparent that wasn’t working, police fired canisters of tear and heat gas into the room.

Carlson put a mattress up to the window in an attempt to block the gas, and took shelter inside the bathroom, said Josh. He was following his father’s moves by listening to a police scanner in a car at the scene.

About 3 a.m., more shots were fired from the motel room, and cautious officers then responded with more gas canisters.

Initial reports indicated Carlson wrapped a wet towel around his head and placed towels underneath the door cracks to minimize the affects of the gas.

Canisters were continually fired into the room until daybreak, and then Virginia State Police officials arrived on the scene to relieve Prince William and Manassas officers who had been working all night.