Woman: Armed Standoff Suspects Broke Into My House

Editor's note: The standoff has ended with the apprehension of both suspects.


ORIGINAL STORY (5:47 p.m.): A Hampton Falls resident says Tuesday's police standoff occurred after two of her neighbors, armed with multiple guns, tried to elude officers by breaking into her home.

Amanda Rich, 25, who rents 24 Lafayette Road, Apt. 8, said her neighbors are currently barricaded in her apartment. Her neighbors live in Apt. 7, which is the only other unit in their two-unit building.

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Rich, who wasn't in the home at the time of the break-in, said her landlord told her that her neighbors gained access to her apartment through a shared storage space within the building after breaking through a locked door to Rich's unit.

Police had arrived at the home to speak with the individuals in regard to an Amesbury, Mass., police investigation, although Rich said her neighbors refused to leave the home.

Numerous police agencies have closed off an area of Route 1, and reports indicate that a SWAT team is currently on scene and has been attempting to negotiate with the suspects.

Rich, who is currently staying with a friend, said the incident has her shaken, although she and her family members are grateful that she wasn't home when here neighbors gained access to her apartment.

"It's a little nerve-wracking knowing that I am living next to people like these, and that it's so easy for them to gain access into my house," she said.

Rich said she didn't know how many weapons or what type of weapons her neighbors possessed. She said her landlord has informed her that her neighbors have previously told the landlord that they own multiple guns.

Jay Buckley, who said he works at the nearby Poker Room, told Patch around on Twitter that he heard police issue instructions to the barricaded suspects using a bullhorn around 5 p.m.

Buckley said it was "hard to make out" most of what police had said, although he said he clearly heard police tell the suspects, "[we're] giving you one more chance to come out."


More to come.