Gun police pluck twin girls from danger after a stand-off in suburbia: Father arrested after 12-hour siege



Officers were called to property after man's ex-partner raised the alarm

Police feared man was armed and were in 'regular communication' with him



One of the children was released earlier following discussions with police

Officers have confirmed both children have now been released

A man has now been arrested in connection with the incident



Cradled by an armed policewoman and surrounded by officers pointing guns, a two-year-old is rushed from the home where her father allegedly took her and her identical twin hostage.

The sisters, wearing matching pyjamas, were rescued in two separate snatch missions during a 12-hour siege on a tree-lined suburban street. Their father was said to have a gun.

The toddlers were returned unharmed to their mother four hours before their father, named locally as 38-year-old Daniel Rodriguez, was arrested yesterday afternoon.



Scroll down for video



The moment a two-year-old girl was rescued by police during an armed siege at a flat in Oxfordshire

A police officer carries away the second child from the armed siege in Kidlington The twins' mother, the ex-partner of the man inside the property, is believed to have managed to flee from the scene before raising the alarm

Officers had restrained the former chef after Tasering him as he walked into the street barefoot and allegedly made threats towards police.

He was covered with a blanket and taken into custody.

A handgun was recovered from the bottom floor flat of the converted semi-detached house in Kidlington, Oxfordshire where the siege took place.

The twins lived there with their 35-year-old mother, who is separated from their father.

He lives in Botley, six miles away, but it is believed he had been at the house on Monday night.

Friends said that the father-of-two had recently come out of rehab for drug abuse and had been sacked from his job as a chef at the weekend.

The estranged couple’s relationship was described as ‘tempestuous’.

The drama began early yesterday after Miss Marshall fled the home at 3.40am and alerted police to a domestic incident.

Amid fears the children had been taken hostage, the street was cordoned off while neighbours were evacuated or told to stay indoors as dozens of police officers arrived with assault rifles and riot shields.

Thames Valley Police were in 'regular communication' with the 38-year-old, who was believed to be armed, during the siege

The armed officers discreetly began to surround the building, which backs on to a local football club.

Witnesses said a ‘snatch squad’ of officers approached the house at about 9.45am and grabbed one of the twins, protecting her with riot shields as they carried her to safety.

Less than two hours later, at 11.30am, officers wearing riot gear and carrying weapons went in for the second twin.



A team stormed out from behind an armoured Land Rover and approached the flat, creeping backwards ten minutes later with the toddler clinging to one of the policemen.

It is understood that the twins’ mother helped police in their negotiations with the man.

The road had remained cordoned off at each end throughout the day as officers and sniffer dogs were brought in.

Friends of Rodriguez suggested last night that his ex-partner was hoping to move abroad with his daughters. Messages Rodriguez had posted on social networking sites earlier this year gave clues about his unhappiness.



The man released the first child earlier this morning after speaking with officers

Armed police surrounded the house in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, where a man, who was believed to have been armed, was holding his two-year-old daughter

He wrote one post on his Facebook page in January which read: ‘When u p*** on people it comes back and showes apon u [sic]!’



But images on the website also showed Rodriguez enjoying the snow with his daughters.

Debz Amirir-Bigvand had employed Rodriguez at Kia Nosh Cafe in the town centre. She said she fired him on Saturday after he had started struggling with the high number of customers.



She said: ‘He suffers from anxiety and I know he has been on prescription drugs.

‘He was in the kitchen on his own and closed it after getting five orders, he couldn’t cope with the pressure.



‘He also served the same customer uncooked fish twice. I had to let him go.



‘He was particularly worse for wear on Saturdays after going out drinking on Friday nights.’



The business owner said she was shocked to hear that Rodriguez, who she said had a ‘very tough upbringing’, was accused of being involved in the siege. She added: ‘I cannot believe this has happened.

‘He is a very proud dad and he loves those girls. He’s always showing off pictures of them.'



Police said they were in 'regular communication' with the 38-year-old during the seige

Residents were urged to avoid the area after the road and nearby routes were closed

Mavis Sale, 77, who lives on the street, said: ‘We’ve been out of our house since 7.30am and not allowed back by police because of the cordon. I’ve lived here 53 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.’



David Talboys, who runs a chauffeuring business nearby, said: ‘The local schools were in lockdown so children were not allowed out in the playground.’

A Thames Valley Police spokesman confirmed that the father had been arrested after walking out of the flat.

The spokesman said: ‘The 38-year-old man inside the property in Morton Avenue was detained by officers at the scene at 3.37pm after he exited the property.