Man accused of holding wife hostage in Iowa City parking garage

A man was charged with kidnapping Monday after a standoff with police in an Iowa City parking garage, which ended when the man shot himself, according to police.

Carldale Hunter, 33, took his wife against her will from Cedar Rapids Sunday night, and brought her to the Trailways Bus Station at 170 E Court St. Monday, where he intended to force her to take a bus with him to Chicago, according to a criminal complaint.

Police were called at about 2 p.m. by a third-party who the wife had texted, explaining that she was in danger because Hunter had a gun.

As soon as police arrived, Hunter pulled out a gun and grabbed the woman, holding her in front of him like a shield and holding the gun to the back of her head. He told officers he would kill the woman if they didn’t back off, and then fled with her into the Court Street Parking Ramp, the complaint states.

Police followed Hunter and the woman through multiple levels of the parking garage until officers were able to corner Hunter and the victim. Officers attempted to negotiate with Hunter, during which time he kept holding the woman and threatened to kill her multiple times. Eventually, he released the hostage and shot himself. He survived and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Hunter’s three minor children — an infant, a 7-year-old and an 8-year-old — were present in the lobby of the bus stop during the incident.

Hunter is now being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $150,000 cash-only bond. Along with a second-degree kidnapping charge, he is also charged with going armed with intent and control of a firearm by a felon, all felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of domestic abuse and child endangerment. He had his first appearance in court Tuesday morning, and a no-contact order was filed on behalf of the woman and the three children.

An address for Hunter was not listed in court documents.

During this incident a perimeter was established around the parking garage, staff were evacuated and nearby community members were told to shelter in place. The University of Iowa sent out a Hawk Alert warning students to avoid the area.

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