Suspect in Critical Condition After Starting Fire in Albuquerque Standoff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A suspect is currently in critical condition after allegedly starting a fire inside a home where he was barricading himself. The incident took place in northeast Albuquerque at around 8 a.m. on Monday morning.
According to the Albuquerque Police Department (APD), a SWAT team was called in after the suspect, identified as Stiven Katicic, reportedly strangled his mother and sister and held them against their will. Thankfully, the police were able to safely rescue the victims, but Katicic refused to surrender.
In a video recorded by a SWAT robot, Katicic can be seen lighting what appears to be a piece of fabric on fire and waving it in front of the robot. Within minutes, thick smoke filled the house. APD stated that Katicic surrendered shortly after the fire broke out.
This is not the first time a house fire has occurred during a SWAT situation in Albuquerque. Just over a year ago, a 14-year-old boy tragically died in a fire sparked by a “flameless grenade” used by APD during a standoff. The police had been called to the house to arrest Qiaunt Kelley, who was wanted for a probation violation.
After that incident, APD initiated training for officers on how to handle fire emergencies during standoffs. “Since the San Joaquin incident, we train regularly with AFR [Albuquerque Fire Rescue]. We deploy fire extinguishers to each side of the home when we are deployed to different sides, and I can assure you that each member is really attentive to paying attention to any signs of the fire,” said APD Deputy Chief Michael Smathers.
It has been revealed that the 34-year-old suspect involved in Monday morning’s standoff has a history of setting fires. Moreover, he was released from the county jail just the previous day for a separate incident.
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