Police standoff with female suspect ends

Police have detained the female suspect who tried to evade arrest by jumping into the water off West Bay Road on Wednesday afternoon.

The woman is currently in custody, ending a more-than-three-hour standoff with police.

The RCIPS confirmed that the situation had been resolved late Wednesday afternoon, and said they would issue a press release later with further details on the incident.

Police were on the scene late into the afternoon by the shore off West Bay Road attempting to negotiate with a female suspect.

The RCIPS, responding to Cayman Compass queries earlier in the day, said that the initial incident happened just north of the North Church Street intersection.

The woman had evaded arrest, police said, by fleeing from officers and entering the water.

“Police negotiators are in communication with the woman in order to facilitate her safe return to shore,” the RCIPS said.

Eyewitnesses told the Compass that the incident started around 1:30pm when the woman, who was in police custody, jumped out of the back of a police vehicle near the Wharf Restaurant.

One motorist who was driving behind the police said he saw the woman open the door and jump out of the moving vehicle.

“The door was open and the police tried to reverse quickly, but the door sort of hit [the woman] and [she] goes rolling. But [she] got straight back up. I couldn’t see if she was cuffed or not, but she got up quick enough, and then ran off,” the witness said.

The woman made her way through an access route to the beach with the officers in pursuit.

She then jumped into the water and refused to come out.

Another witness, who was walking along West Bay Road heading to her car, said she heard the commotion and saw when the woman ran off after jumping out of the police vehicle.

“I know she got to be hurt,” she said, adding that she could hear the officers pleading with the woman.

“She was in the water and they were talking to her, trying to persuade her, and saying, ‘We were not here to hurt you. We just need you to cooperate with us.’ But she was just going on,” the witness said.

A Coast Guard interceptor vessel also arrived on the scene to assist.