Expand / Collapse search
☰

Florida man surrenders after 20-hour standoff following alleged kidnapping, deputies say

By Kiah Armstrong
Published  March 16, 2024 12:33pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 35 Orlando

Kidnapper barricades himself inside home

A man who kidnapped a women has barricaded himself inside a Wildwood home. SWAT teams and police have been outside James Savages home, attempting to get him to come outside.

THE VILLAGES, Fla. - A man accused of kidnapping a woman and later barricading himself inside a home for nearly 20 hours has surrendered, deputies said. 

James Savage was arrested for a warrant on domestic battery and kidnapping charges, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office. 

Credit: Marion County Sheriff's Office

Savage reportedly kidnapped his then-girlfriend, 60-year-old Marivel Dunn, outside a home late Thursday night by forcing her inside a car before driving off. 

Dunn was found safe on Friday morning and Savage was found barricaded inside a home in the area of Southeast 174th Belhaven Loop Wildwood, Florida, on the north end of The Villages.

Around 3 p.m. Friday, a person who identified himself as Savage called the FOX 35 newsroom. During the 30-minute phone call, which was difficult to follow at times, Savage discussed a variety of topics. FOX 35 immediately contacted law enforcement.

Image 1 of 2
▼

Photo shows James Savage surrendering after a 20 hour standoff with law enforcement in Marion County | Photo Credit: Sally Petruzzello

Hours into the standoff, SWAT teams began ripping Savage's garage off his home in an effort to force him out. 

"We just saw them crashing that battering ram into the house, one time the truck with the battering ram was coming back down the road and a window was hanging off the battering ram," said neighbor Jesse James. "I was just surprised that they decided to wait that long for him to come out, but they're the guys who know what they're doing, not me."

SWAT standoff at Sumter Co. home, man barricaded

Deputies have a home surrounded in Sumter County as they attempt to get a kidnapping suspect out of the house.

Deputy vehicles were spotted coming in an out of the neighborhood throughout Friday and early Saturday morning. 

"We did use a gas to try to convince him to come out of the home. Eventually maybe it wore him down, but it was definitely the negotiation efforts by our negotiation unit that got him out of the home," said Zach Moore with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

The alleged kidnapping was captured on home surveillance video, which was later released by the police department on its Facebook page. You can view it in the video player above. Warning: The nature of the video may be disturbing to some viewers.

"Get in the car and shut up," Savage is heard telling Dunn multiple times. 

Police said Dunn and Savage were last known to be in a "domestic relationship" and have lived together at a few unverified locations. They both have ties to Sumter, Marion and Palm Beach counties.