UPDATE: Two arrested after SWAT investigation

The Sarasota Police Department has released more details of a sexual battery case that led to a SWAT investigation and road closures Monday.

Members of SWAT detained Francisco Serrano, 28, early Monday and Sarasota Police arrested Pastor Mendiola-Martinez, 26, later that day for a sexual battery stemming from a call from Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The unnamed victim had been held at gunpoint following a sexual assault, according to a probable cause affadavit.

Earlier: The Sarasota Police Department has taken a suspect into custody in relation to an armed sexual battery earlier this morning, and 17th Street has reopened between Lime Avenue and U.S. 301 following a SWAT team investigation.

After the crime was reported at 3:49 a.m., the suspect holed himself inside a beige warehouse on 17th Street with a firearm. SPD officers and SWAT members began investigating the crime and attempting to contact the suspect, closing off an extended portion of 17th Street in the process. The warehouse also contained weapons, according to a SPD press release

SPD took a suspect into custody shortly before 8 a.m. without incident. The victim, an adult female, was reported to be safe. Information on the suspect, victim or possible charges are unavailable.

The impacted stretch of 17th Street remained closed until noon as officers waited to obtain a search warrant, but all roads are now reopened.

For more information, contact David Conway at [email protected].