Kevin Freeman | Lariat Photographer
By Paula Ann Solis
Staff Writer
Ex-felon Edward Alvarado, 42, surrendered to a Waco Police Department SWAT unit Thursday night after a three-hour standoff on the 1400 block of 26th Street, said Sgt. Patrick W. Swanton, the Waco police public information officer.
Swanton said the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force was attempting to serve Alvarado an outstanding McLennan County arrest warrant at 3:15 p.m. The warrant was for possession of a controlled substance, two incidents of wearing body armor and three counts of firearm possession, all of which are illegal actions for an ex-felon.
When the task force located Alvarado, he barricaded himself inside a house two miles from Baylor campus and refused to leave when prompted by megaphone announcements from officers, Swanton said. At that point the surrounding homes were evacuated and Waco officers and a SWAT team arrived for backup because Alvarado was thought to have a weapon on him, Swanton said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety also helped by providing a helicopter patrol unit, Swanton said.
“Negotiators tried to convince Mr. Alvarado to come out but he refused to talk,” Swanton said. “We were left with no option but to disperse tear gas.”
After the “chemical ammunition” was released, Alvarado left the home and emergency medical staff treated him on the scene. He was then arrested and booked at McLennan County Jail.
Swanton said it is unknown if the house Alvarado barricaded himself in was his own. His official charges and bond amount will not be available until a hearing Friday morning, a McLennan jail official said.
