Authorities were able to arrest the suspect who reportedly held people hostage near the University of Alabama. The armed man was said to be attempting to rob a credit union in Tuscaloosa. Reuters reported that the suspect was arrested on Tuesday. The University of Alabama confirmed that there were no injuries to the hostages.
The man was said to have held eight employees as hostages at the Alabama Credit Union branch across the university's law school. He was armed with a gun and entered the branch at around 8:30 in the morning.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Tuscaloosa Police spokesperson Lieutenant Teena Richardson confirmed that "the hostages are fine." They were released after police officers entered the building. Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson said that the officers were alerted to a bank robbery in the credit union. It was previously denied that a robbery has been reported.
Officials explained that the robbery report prompted them to arrive at the scene quickly. The man was surrounded, which led to the standoff. University of Alabama Assistant Police Chief Aaron Fowler admitted that a credit union worker sent the notification to the authorities.
According to USA Today College, the University of Alabama sent out an alert to the community. In a post on Twitter, it said that the police have responded to a "robbery/hostage situation" at the Alabama Credit Union and asked people to avoid the area.
Afterwards, the school also notified the campus community that the suspect has been arrested and held in custody. The hostages have also been confirmed to be fine. One Twitter user commented that it has been a "rough 12 hours" for the university since the hostage crisis came after it lost to the Clemson Tigers. WLTZ reported that the Clemson Tigers became College Football's National Champion.
The publication noted that the students are still proud of the Crimson Tide. Still, they are still shocked about the way the game ended. ESPN added that Alabama entered the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead (97-0) but still lost.
