A 38-year-old man armed with a long gun took three people hostage in Overlea early this morning, only to release them later in the day police said.
Baltimore County police said the incident began around 4 a.m. in the unit block of Walnut Avenue when the man — whose name has not been released — broke into the house looking for his girlfriend.
When the man found she wasn’t there, he took three people hostage, prompting police to surround the house, officers said.
The house’s owner, Bruce Connelly Smith, 62, was released at about 9:25 a.m.
Two others, Danille Renee Erhardt, 31, who also lives in the house, and Kenneth Lewis Collins, 26, of Baltimore, were released at 11:39 a.m. Collins was visiting Erhardt at the time of the incident, police said.
Police shut down portions of Bel Air Road during the incident. A nearby Catholic school, Michael the Archangel, did not hold classes because of the hostage situation, police said.
Investigators have not released the name of the gunman’s girlfriend and reported he is still in the house.
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