Suspect caught in sewers beneath Bloomington, hospitalized

Updated Sept. 20 at 10:30 p.m.

A man who was believed to be armed with a rifle was apprehended in sewers beneath the city of Bloomington on Tuesday, Indiana University police said.

The suspect was safely removed from a storm drain beneath Kirkwood Avenue and was to be transported to a hospital to be evaluated, police said.

It was not clear whether the man was actually was armed. A message left Tuesday evening for a police spokesman seeking clarity on that matter was not immediately returned.

Bloomington police began searching for the man about 12:30 p.m. EDT in the sewers, Capt. Ryan Pedigo told The Herald-Times, which reported that police said the man was wanted on warrants.

An alert sent by Indiana University said a person was seen entering a storm drain. That alert said campus police were monitoring a sewer exit on the campus’ Dunn Meadow near Franklin Hall, where residents were sheltering in place. Others were advised to avoid that area.

The Bloomington Police Department said no shots were fired.

Some downtown roadways were closed during the search for the suspect in the city about 50 miles south of Indianapolis.

Original post Sept. 20

Officers searched the sewers beneath the city of Bloomington on Tuesday for a man believed to be armed with a rifle who had entered the college town’s sewer system, police said.

The Bloomington Police Department said no shots had been fired and that officers were searching the sewer system for a “barricaded man" in sewers beneath an area near the city's downtown.

Bloomington police began searching for the man about 12:30 p.m. in the sewers, Capt. Ryan Pedigo told The Herald-Times, which reported that police said the man is wanted on warrants.

“We are working with Utilities to determine the underground sewer tunnels that a person could fit in,” the Bloomington Police Department said in a tweet.

The department said multiple agencies were on scene and assisting in the search in the city about 50 miles south of Indianapolis.

An alert sent by Indiana University said a person was seen entering a storm drain. That alert said campus police were monitoring a sewer exit on the campus’ Dunn Meadow near Franklin Hall, where residents were sheltering in place.

Others were advised to avoid that area.