Police in Colorado are preparing to end a standoff with a man who is holding his six-month-old daughter hostage inside his ex-girlfriend's residence in La Salle, Colo.
"We are waiting to get a search warrant and arrest warrant signed, which should be taking place soon," Weld County Under-Sheriff Margie Martinez told The Huffington Post. "Once that is signed the SWAT team will make entry."
Officers surrounded the home in the 200 block of Ley Drive at about 1:30 a.m. and have worked to establish contact with the man inside the home, whom police have identified as 44-year-old Gabriel Esparza. So far those attempts have been unsuccessful.
"We don't know if there's any weapons or not and cannot hear anything inside the residence," Martinez said.
According to police, the hostage situation was allegedly triggered by an argument between Esparza and the child's mother, 19-year-old Tammy Dansko. The two were involved in a heated argument, during which Esparza allegedly assaulted and threatened kill Dansko, police said.
Martinez said there is a restraining order between Esparza and Dansko, but the details of that order are not yet known.
UPDATE: 8:40 a.m. -- The 6-month-old girl that was being held hostage by her father inside a La Salle, Colo. home has been rescued.
UPDATE: 8:50 a.m. -- Esparza was not inside the home when police rescued the child. Investigators do not know when he fled the residence. A search is currently underway.
UPDATE: 10:10 a.m. -- 7News reports that after an hour of searching, deputies have found Esparza hiding behind a liquor store in La Salle. He is being charged with second-degree assault and violating a restraining order. He may face additional child abuse charges.
