Video by Morgan Kilgo | Broadcast Reporter and story by Gavin Pugh | Digital Managing Editor
After several hours of negotiations, a man who barricaded himself inside his shed in the 200 block of Garden Drive peacefully surrendered Wednesday evening and is in police custody. He was in the shed from 2 to 6:45 p.m.
Robert Elmer Evans has been booked in McLennan County Jail and is facing charges for a parole violation. Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton, spokesman for the Waco Police Department, said it was unclear whether or not Evans had a weapon with him.
The Waco Police Department was doing a follow-up with a separate theft incident when they spotted Evans, who had two warrants out for his arrest, Swanton said. A SWAT team was dispatched after the suspect entered the shed.
Evans, in his 50s, has a record of firearms offenses and is named in a burglary of habitation warrant and parole warrant, Swanton said. He is also a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, which is defined by the FBI as a violent, white supremacist gang, Swanton said.
“Our negotiators had been communicating with him for the past several hours,” Swanton said. “Obviously he did not want to go to jail. That was his main concern. We walked him through that, and I think he understood that we were limited on our options with him.”
Ray Arias, a resident of the neighborhood, said his house was robbed two nights before. He said Christmas presents were stolen from his trailer. It is unclear who the thief was; however, Evans is a current suspect for theft in the area, according to Swanton.
“Our investigation will continue. We are working a follow-up originally here. That individual is, at this point, a person of interest,” Swanton said. “He was considered armed and dangerous … but again, it was a peaceful resolution based on his decision to come out of the home.”
