CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities say an hours-long hostage situation has ended with a suspect being shot and a woman being rescued from the Speedway gas station in Green Cove Springs on US-17 late Saturday night.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office said a SWAT officer came face to face with the suspect and shot him.
The suspect was apprehended and is communicating with police. Officers were able to safely evacuate the hostage and she is also speaking with police, the sheriff's office said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will be investigating the hostage incident.
Roads are expected to reopen soon as authorities wrap up the scene.
The Green Cove Springs Police Department will be investigating the initial domestic violence incident.
What happened:
A man barricaded himself and a woman inside of the Speedway gas station in Green Cove Springs on State Road 16 and US-17.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office said the incident started shortly after 7 p.m. A store clerk told officers that the man and woman entered the gas station and appeared to be involved in a domestic dispute.
The two then went inside of a room and the clerk called law enforcement out of concern, the sheriff's office said during a news briefing.
Authorities said the incident is not related to the Green Cove Springs Christmas parade that was going on in the area.
The investigation caused a traffic jam in the area and US-17 was temporarily shut down.
Authorities sent out a community safety alert urging residents to avoid the area. Any traffic headed south was redirected north and drivers were advised to take the Buckman Bridge.
"If you're near the gas station avoid the area and get away," Clay County Sheriff's Office PIO Brandon Ludwig said.