MIDLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT MAKE AN ARREST IN REGARDS THE SUNDANCE CREEK APARTMENTS.
(March 15, 2024)
MIDLAND, TEXAS -- On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at approximately 11 a.m., the Midland Police Department responded to a domestic disturbance in the 3700 block of North Edward Street in northeast Midland.
What followed was more than 26 hours of interagency teamwork by Midland Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Odessa Police Department to bring a male subject – Christian Armani Milan -- into custody and bring a woman and child out of a hostage situation unharmed.
Midland Police Department officials said Milan faces two charges of aggravated kidnapping on Friday.
Midland Police Department Deputy Chief Greg Chatwell stated early Friday morning that the subject was overwhelmed around 1:30 a.m. Friday after a plan was executed quickly – and with a lot of diversions by law enforcement, including the FBI Hostage Rescue Team.
“It was just a successful mission there,” Chatwell said afterward. “Everybody is safe, and the actor is in custody. And all the hard work paid off.”
Deputy Chief Chatwell stated that on Wednesday night, the subject made phone calls to family members, making threats to his live-in girlfriend. Threats, he said, were confirmed and it was established that the woman and a 9-year-old girl – who lived with the subject -- were being held against their will.
The subject, early Thursday, had fired off one round, police stated, and Chatwell said weapons were later found in the apartment.
The 26-plus-hour ordeal included hundreds of men and women and millions of dollars of equipment from multiple agencies. During the event, Midland Police Department started as the lead agency, before turning it over to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which then turned it over to the FBI late Thursday evening.
The rotation of personnel from Midland, Odessa, El Paso and even Washington, D.C., allowed law enforcement to bring in fresh manpower during the standoff.
FBI El Paso Field Office Critical Incident Response personnel, Department of Homeland Security (Foreign Access Management System) and the Midland Fire Department also provided support this week.
“Everybody we called on to help, came out as fast as they could, brought all the help they could bring -- lots of equipment -- and we had a successful mission today,” Chatwell said.
During the saga, law enforcement remained in contact with the subject, who also sent out messages through social media and contacted an area television station.
“There was a plan in place,” Chatwell stated. “And when all those pieces lined up together where they knew they could pull this off safely, they executed the plan.”
Chatwell said the woman and child were being checked out early Friday morning. It had been reported on Thursday that there might have been two women and a child being held hostage. That assessment was based on comments the subject made during the ordeal.
The Midland Police Department reported that it was OK for residents to return to their apartments Friday morning.
The Midland Police Department is thankful for the Department of Public Safety, the Midland Fire Department, the Odessa Police Department, and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office. From the beginning of the incident, Midland PD as well as Odessa PD Negotiating teams were engaged. Working toward the end were negotiating teams from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Hostage Rescue Team. It took hours of constant work, professionalism, teamwork, and collaboration to make this mission a success.
The City of Midland worked in conjunction with Midland County Emergency Management and the American Red Cross, as well as others in the community to make sure those displaced temporarily during the standoff/hostage episode had accommodations, including a place to sleep, as long as the situation continued.
The investigation is on-going.
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