Driver identified after standoff at Air National Guard

VIDEO: Standoff near Air National Guard ends in arrest A woman was arrested after a threat Monday.

By JJ Burton

TULSA, Okla. — Quick Facts:

  • Driver in custody after standoff at Air National Guard base in north Tulsa
  • Woman spotted driving in circles around a flag pole at the Tulsa Air National Guard base
  • She claimed to have a device
  • TPD bomb squad searched truck
  • Port Road (46th Street North) was closed from Mingo to Sheridan until just before 3:30 p.m.
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The Tulsa Police Department and their bomb squad spent time Monday at the Air National Guard where a woman is in a standoff at the main entrance to the base.

Police said the woman told them she had a device on her truck and may use it. She drove circles around the flag pole at the the base until TPD used stop sticks to stop her.

She was taken into custody just before 1:30 p.m. A TPD negotiator talked to her on the phone to try and get her out of the truck.

[ READ MORE: What we know about the Tulsa base that was threatened ]

Officials closed Port Road (46th Street North) from Mingo to Sheridan.%

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% Police told businesses in the area to shelter in place.

The Tulsa Airport said the situation is not impacting their traffic and planes are landing and taking off as planned.

Police think the woman involved has a history of mental illness.

Police said someone called and made a threat against 'downtown' earlier today and this may have been the same woman.

They later identified the woman as Heather Thomas, 29.

Police said Thomas was involved in a standoff with Rogers County law enforcement last year.

FOX23 JJ Burton started covering the situation during FOX23 News at Noon.

During the event, the 350 personnel at the base were ordered to shelter in place.

"Our security forces and personnel train for events like today and they responded to the situation perfectly," said Col. Tray Siegfried, commander of the 138th Fighter Wing, who was on the base at the time of the incident. "We understand the dangerous complexities in which we operate, but we are completely committed to ensuring the safety of our military members and our civilian employees at all times."

Siegfried went on to say, "We are extremely grateful to the brave men and women of the Tulsa Police Department and the other agencies that responded to the scene and resolved this situation peacefully and without incident. It could have been much worse."

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