Steele County child safe after lengthy standoff in Austin

A 7-year-old girl from Steele County is safe Monday morning after a standoff in Austin that was around 11 hours long.

The girl — believed to be the daughter of a man at the heart of the standoff — was rescued from a white vehicle parked at a home on 16th Avenue NW just after 9 a.m. Monday morning. The man, identified as 48-year-old Kristofer Luiken, was taken into custody and according to the Austin Police Department’s Capt. Todd Clennon is looking at local charges after reviewal of the case by the Mower County Attorney’s Office.

Clennon said concern was high regarding the safety of the child given that edged weapons were discovered in the front of the car as well as two cans of bear spray and a container of gasoline.

“Our primary concern, of course, was the young girl,” Clennon said, adding. “It was unpredictable given the man’s mental state.”

According to Clennon, Monday’s incident began in Owatonna when police were called to the scene of a suspicious person in a public place. After making a contact, Luiken fled officers striking squad cars in the process.

An alert was sent out to local agencies to be on the lookout for Luiken for fleeing, child endangerment, reckless driving and hit and run. After an attempt to locate, the Minnesota State Patrol picked up the Luiken’s vehicle on Highway 218 and at one point the vehicle’s tires were flattened.

The car entered Austin before parking in the driveway of a home believed to have been known by Luiken.

APD negotiators arrived on scene and began efforts to resolve the conflict. Initially, Luiken refused all attempts to exit the vehicle and release the child. Almost 10 hours later, the situation was brought to a close with Luiken surrendering and the child being released into the care of family not long after.

Luiken was transported to the Mower County Jail pending charges.