Temple Motel Standoff and Shootout Ends with Suspect in Custody

If you think you had a bad day, imagine being a guest at the hotel where police had to talk a guy out of his room after a shootout and standoff.

Meet Benjamin Troche

Police say their gunman is 43-year-old Benjamin Troche. I found his mugshot on the Bell County Jail's inmate roster, but it's a photo from an arrest in 2013. No charges or bond information had been posted Tuesday evening, but that will surely change in the next few hours. According to the roster, he's a resident of Temple.

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What Happened?

At around noon Tuesday, officers responded to a call at the motel. After several hours, TPD trained negotiators and Bell County Mental Health deputies were unable to talk Troche out of the room leading officers to deploy gas. Troche then fired several shots at officers over the course of two hours.

Temple police were called to the Americas Best Value Inn at 915 N General Bruce Drive around Noon Tuesday. Troche was supposed to have checked out of his room, but had instead barricaded himself inside. Other guests were evacuated just in case the situation escalated.

And Boy Did It Escalate

Temple PD negotiators and Bell County Mental Health deputies were called in to talk Troche out of his room, but he refused to step outside. Shortly before 5PM, he reportedly fired shots at a SWAT vehicle. In response, police shut down a portion of I-35 to clear traffic in the area and deployed gas against Troche.

Then Came the Arrest

Around 5:30 PM, police say Troche surrendered peacefully and was placed under arrest. Jail records show he was booked into the Bell County Jail at 6:35 PM Tuesday evening.