A hostage situation ended peacefully Wednesday evening when a man wanted on felony charges in Illinois was arrested at a home near Highland Park in Meridian. 

Sabastian Sims, 35, was captured around 7:20 p.m. after SWAT team members swarmed his home on the corner of 19th Street and 43rd Avenue. A woman authorities said was his girlfriend was taken from the home as well.

Sims held police at bay for several hours, barricading himself and the woman in the home.

The arrest came after deputies were following up on a county domestic violence call that came in earlier Wednesday, said Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie, who was at the scene with Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose.

A Meridian police officer spotted a red car related to the case at the home, and other officers and deputies responded, surrounding the home so Sims couldn’t escape. Authorities then spoke with Sims on his cell phone, encouraging him to leave. Eventually, Sims came out of the home and was arrested.

Sollie said he was relieved the incident ended peacefully, saying “This was a huge effort between the Meridian Police Department and the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department.”

“There were many that were anticipating a gun battle,” Sollie added. “But the police department and SWAT team were prepared to protect life and liberty of all who were here.”

A large crowd gathered on a street behind the teal blue wooden residence, filming and live streaming as law enforcement officers watched for Sims.

Like Sollie, many were relieved no one was hurt in the arrest.

Dorothy Grace, who said she knows Sims, called him generous and helpful.

“When my son-in-law was sick, he helped transfer him back and forth to the hospital each day,” she said. “He was there to help take care of him.”

Sollie said Sims, who was wanted on an aggravated robbery charge in Illinois, had a history of arrests in Lauderdale County. The process to extradite him to Illinois would start immediately, Sollie said.