Neighbor Said Standoff With Armed Suspect In NW OKC Unnecessary

A five hour stand-off Wednesday in northwest Oklahoma City ended peacefully but at times it was touch and go.

Oklahoma City Police warned a woman and possibly children were in the home in the 200 block of N.W. 121st Street. Brandi Allen was at the center of it all and claims things were not as they first appeared.

2/12/2014 Related Story: Armed Standoff In Northwest OKC Ends Peacefully

"They made it like this man was over here holding people hostage with guns and he was just a terrorist or something and that was not the case," said Allen.

She believes the standoff could have been avoided because her friend, James Jones, is not a violent man.

According to Allen, Jones had stopped by her house to visit when an informant allegedly notified a bounty hunter that Jones was in the area. Jones then barricaded himself inside the house to avoid an arrest on some outstanding warrants.

"He was not threatening anyone in the home," she said.

Allen said she was not at all scared to have her kids inside the house with him. She eventually pulled her kids out through a window. Her grandmother stayed inside asleep during the five hour standoff.

Allen believes Jones refused to surrender because he was afraid of the number of officers surrounding the home. She said he had a leg injury that would prevent him from coming out with his hands up.

In the last few years, police have encountered Jones on several occasions for burglary, concealing stolen property and illegal possession of a firearm.

Oklahoma City Police believed Jones was also armed during the standoff and they devoted a lot of resources to the scene. Approximately 30 officers from the tactical team, six negotiators, four bomb techs, 20 patrol officers and four impact officers were on hand Wednesday.

Incidents like this cost the city approximately $10,000 just to send out the tact team. The cost of manpower is also part of the expense. Allen is critical of that decision and believes the whole thing got out of hand.

"He was no real threat so it was all a waste of tax dollars," she said.

Eventually, officers were able to end the standoff, peacefully. Jones was taken into custody and officers searched the home.

He is now being held on a number of complaints including possession of marijuana, interfering with official city business and traffic related offenses.