Man who barricaded himself at IU Hotel claimed to be holding a family hostage

By WFIU/WTIU NEWS TEAM

Bloomington police say a man who barricaded himself in a hotel room at the Indiana Memorial Union last night claimed to be armed with an AK-47 and holding his family hostage.

The situation started around 9 o’clock Monday night and concluded around 2 o’clock Tuesday morning.

READ MORE: Standoff at IU Memorial Union ends, suspect in custody

Police have identified the suspect as Cecil L. Gilbert.

Members of the Bloomington Police Department’s Hostage Negotiation Team were able to make contact with Gilbert when they arrived on the scene to assist the IUPD, however Gilbert still refused to leave the room. According to police, he told officers he was armed with an automatic weapon and he made threats about using it.

Police say they eventually resorted to “non-lethal techniques” and Gilbert exited the room and was taken into police custody.

A WFIU reporter heard alarms and smelled tear gas shortly after the arrest. Police officers were also coughing as they departed the building.

This situation has been resolved. Tear gas can be smelled around the hotel and there are fire alarms going off on the multiple guest floors.

Police officers in tactical gear were coughing as they put gear away. https://t.co/aPzFo401dK

— Brock E.W. Turner (@BrockEWTurner) January 4, 2022

Online court records for Gilbert go back to 1989. His most recent address is listed as 620 S. Walnut St., the location of the Shalom Center.

Gilbert was sentenced to four months in jail last year on a charge of resisting law enforcement. He has a hearing scheduled Thursday for an unrelated felony battery charge.