Suspect In Oklahoma City Hotel Standoff Identified

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A police standoff that lasted almost 24 hours after a man barricaded himself inside a northwest Oklahoma City hotel and threatened officers ended with the suspect dead.

An anonymous tip brought police to the Clarion Hotel at N.W. 63rd Street and Robinson just after midnight Wednesday. Officers were searching for a fugitive from Cleveland County, but when they arrived at the hotel they discovered the man they were looking for wasn't there. He was already in jail.

Before Oklahoma City Police realized the original suspect was already behind bars, they knocked on a hotel door. The man inside started making threats, saying he would start "cutting officers down."

The standoff started when Clyde C. Boyette III, 47, refused to come out. Officers tried repeatedly to get Boyette to surrender and the incident ended just before midnight Thursday.  

According to Oklahoma City Police MSgt. Gary Knight, two female hostages were released from the room between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. Wednesday, and a final person was released at about 10:50 p.m. Wednesday and told police Boyette had shot himself.

"We were doing everything we possibly could to find a peaceful resolution to this," said MSgt. Knight.

Knight said he cannot disclose the tactical teams' strategy but said when it comes to a hostage situation, there is no time limit.

"If someone is bound and determined to kill themselves and armed with a firearm, that's hard to prevent but we want to prevent and talk them out of doing it and make sure if there's somebody out in the room with them that they're safe," said MSgt. Knight.

The three hostages were not hurt and their names have not yet been released.

It is unclear if drugs were involved in the incident. Oklahoma City Police said it will take two months to release a cost report for the standoff.