Escaped Florence standoff suspect arrested

FLORENCE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - Sheriff's deputies have arrested a man who they say escaped an hours-long standoff after barricading himself inside a Florence home.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office says 49-year-old John Bowman, a registered sex offender, has been arrested. Bowman was on the loose after he barricaded himself inside a home near Escape Avenue and Desert Drive just after midnight on Tuesday.

Deputies say the incident started when Bowman's girlfriend dialed 9-1-1 saying that he was threatening her with a gun. She then left the home with her 11-and-12-year-old children and told authorities that Bowman said he would not be taken alive and even threatened to kill deputies.

Deputies were involved in standoff with Bowman for several hours and when a SWAT team moved into the home at about 9:30 a.m., Bowman was gone. Bowman was then seen running through a park near a school and as a result, the school was placed on lockdown.

Soon after, a San Tan Valley resident reported that a suspect matching Bowman's description stole her pickup truck from her home near Copper Mine Road and Hunt Highway.

No details on Bowman's arrest have been released.