ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — UPDATE: The suspect Keith Rackett is now in custody.
His roommate is safe, and the standoff lasted about five hours.
Negotiators began talking to Rackett at 12:30, and SWAT also responded, per SPPD.
Police are negotiating with a barricaded man at the Vantage Point Apartments on Gandy Boulevard North after he allegedly made threats by phone and on social media, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.
SPPD said the man called threats into the agency’s communications center before posting additional threatening statements online, according to a news release.
Police said negotiators are currently in contact with him.
No additional details about the man or what led to the incident have been released.
The investigation and negotiations remain ongoing. Tampa Bay 28 has a team on the scene working to learn more.
Petition calls for safety overhaul at Avalon Heights after 2 students killed
A University of South Florida student has launched a petition calling for safety reforms at Avalon Heights apartments in Tampa following the deaths of two USF doctoral students, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.
