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Thirteen-hour standoff in South Carolina ends peacefully
The standoff tied up Interstate 77 near Chester, South Carolina, for hours CHESTER, South Carolina (CNN) -- Law enforcement authorities on Sunday shot tear gas into the cabin of a tractor-trailer to end a 13-hour standoff at an Interstate 77 rest stop.
Afterward, police stormed the rig's cabin and arrested William Long, of Greensboro, North Carolina, who they said was suffering from a neck wound.
"We believe it was self-inflicted," said police spokesman Hugh Munn. "He was bleeding pretty badly." Munn said a steak knife was found in the truck's cab. An eight-mile stretch of highway was closed in both directions during the standoff.
It began Saturday night after a robbery at a Shoney's Restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Police aren't sure if the suspect was involved, but they say he stole a truck and fled the eatery. Police chased the truck into South Carolina, where it crashed into another truck and a Chester County Sheriff's patrol car at a rest stop.
Long held authorities at bay while holed up in the cab of the damaged rig, telling police he had a gun and a hostage, although no hostage was there. Police used a psychiatrist to negotiate with Long, and decided to use tear gas when the doctor determined "the situation was deteriorating," according to Munn.
"He was really talking suicide," he said.
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