Billings PD Arrest Man Following Hostage Situation in Heights

It was a tense situation for nearly three hours in a Billings Heights neighborhood on Sunday afternoon (5/29) when a man took four people hostage during a standoff with police.

According to the post on the @BillingsPD Twitter page at 2:09 pm Sunday, Billings Police officers and the SWAT team were on the scene of a "barricaded subject" in the 800 block of Solita Drive.

In a press release, Billings Police Lt. Lennick said officers were notified of a man with a handgun walking through the neighborhood, and when they arrived, the suspect "retreated to his residence where he took four individuals hostage."

BPD reports the suspect kidnapped one female juveniles, a male juvenile, and one adult female during the incident.

Officers from the Billings Police Department coordinated the escape of the hostages before SWAT entered the residence and used a "less-lethal shotgun" to subdue the suspect.

Billings Police arrested 44-year-old Robert Janz of Billings and charged him with four counts of aggravated kidnapping.

There were "multiple firearms" found inside the residence where Janz was barricaded with the hostages, according to the press release.

Billings Police Chief Rich St. John will hold a press conference tomorrow (Tuesday 5/31) to provide further details into the kidnapping.

This story is continuing to develop and will be updated as more information becomes available.