During a bizarre 16-hour standoff with police in Utah, in the US, a gunman reportedly updated his Facebook status, added new friends and posted pictures of himself and his hostage.
The gunman, Jason Valez, reportedly has a long criminal record, including convictions for aggravated assault and domestic violence.
Police were attempting to serve Valez with a felony drug warrant when he barricaded himself in a room at a motel with a woman identified only as “Veronica”. Valez reportedly used a smartphone during the standoff to update his Facebook profile.
Police efforts were thwarted when bystanders, who were friends with Valez on the social networking site, sent the gunman tip-offs about the location of police officers outside the motel room.
At one point, a Facebook friend commented on one of Valez's updates, saying: “Gun ner in the bushes stay low.”
Valez responded: “Thank you homie. Good looking out.”
Other posts from Valez included: “I'm currently in a stand off with these shady [expletives] from old, kinda ugly but ready for whatever, I love you guys and if I don't make it out of here alive that I'm in a better place and u were all great friends...
“They shut our phones down but were okay, everyones comments mean a lot. But how this ends is on the cops now. And my HOSTAGE as they call her is perfectly fine and holding it down wit me...”
Criminal updates
Valez's posts garnered a number of responses from his Facebook friends. Many urged him to “do the right thing”, while others cheered him on.
“Check this out everyone, they're tryin to get in and involve this girl callin her my accomplice now but just so its clea To everyone im not letting her go and if the cops come in they are jeopardizing her life and now her freedom?” posted the gunman.
Valez added two pictures of himself and his hostage, with the caption: “Got a cute 'HOSTAGE', huh?”
According to police, Valez's Facebook friends could face charges for trying to help him. Reports say it has become general practice for police to routinely monitor the online profiles of criminals.
Police eventually stormed the room, but Valez shot himself in the chest. He is still receiving medical attention, but could face new charges of kidnapping and firing his gun at police. The hostage was unharmed.
Facebook alibi
Law enforcement officials are increasingly using social media in their efforts to catch criminals. A number of US police departments have Facebook pages and use the social network to solve crimes.
Oregon police reportedly posted surveillance video of pickpockets and shoplifters, and were able to make arrests based on responses from the police department's “fans”.
Facebook has also in the past acted as an alibi for a teenager suspected of robbery. The time and location stamp on a status update served as evidence that he was not at the scene of the crime.
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