Aurora standoff ends with four in custody

Charges are pending against two men and two women involved in a five-hour standoff Saturday in Aurora that included police firing multiple gunshots at one of the suspects, authorities said Sunday.

The identities of the men, ages 24 and 25, and women, ages 22 and 23, were not yet disclosed as police said they are continuing to question them before bringing charges.

Police said the standoff began with a home burglary gone awry just before 6 p.m. Saturday, in the 300 block of South Western Avenue.

According to police, neighbors called 911 to report two men who had just exited a gray Honda Accord acting suspiciously. The men were seen walking to the back of the home where the standoff took place and attempting to kick in a rear door, police said.

Officers responding to the scene located the Honda with the two women inside. When questioned by officers, their stories did not match up, police said.

A responding patrol sergeant found signs of forced entry to the home and heard two men inside, throwing items around, authorities said. At one point, police said, one of the men stuck his head out an open window and quickly ducked back inside once he saw the officers.

While officers surrounded the home, 911 operators contacted the home's owner, who reported he had a large cache of unsecured loaded guns of all types and sizes inside the house.

When the two men inside the home refused repeated orders to exit, the Special Response Team was called and negotiations attempted.

For the next five hours, the suspects yelled threats at the officers, became increasingly irate, smashed out numerous widows, and pointed guns outside on multiple occasions, police said.

At about 10:42 p.m., one of the men pointed a shotgun at a group of SRT officers, forcing one of the officers to fire shots at him, police said. The shots missed and apparently hit a window frame. Around the same time, police shot multiple canisters of gas inside the home.

The two men eventually surrendered about 11:10 p.m., but fought officers while they were being handcuffed, police said.

Both remain under police guard at an Aurora hospital for treatment of multiple cuts to their hands that police believe they suffered while breaking windows. The injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The women were being held Sunday at the Aurora Police Department.

No police officers were injured during the standoff.