A man surrendered to police after barricading himself in a Towson hotel Wednesday morning, according to Baltimore County police. 

Officers responded to the Comfort Inn in the 8800 block of Loch Raven Boulevard around 10:15 a.m., where police said the man was barricaded inside a room.

Around 12:45 p.m., officers said the man surrendered. Officers said they deployed a flash/bang device at the scene before the incident was resolved.

The incident prompted a large police presence in the area. 

"I was going to sleep in honestly, and quite frankly, I'm glad I didn't because I would be stuck inside as well," hotel guest Talipah Pelzer said.

Pelzer was one of countless guests who were locked out of their rooms.

"Honestly, I was taken aback because I'm not really surprised given the hotel's history," Pelzer said.

Troubled Towson hotel 

The Comfort Inn on Loch Raven Boulevard was the scene of a crime in 2019 after a Pennsylvania man was killed in one of the rooms. 

According to police, Jeremiah David Koch of Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania, was called into a hotel room to calm down Deonte James Griffin, 26, who was agitated. 

Griffin then pulled out a gun, and another man fled from the room before he heard gunshots. He fled the scene but was later arrested and charged with murder. 

Crime concerns in the community

People who live and work in the area said there have been issues with robbery, theft, and drugs at the Comfort Inn, and at the now-shuttered Days Inn across the street.

And back in 2021, a murder suicide happened next door at the Welcome Inn. A Starbucks on the corner was forced to close due to all of these concerns.

Pelzer said a lot of the people stay at the Comfort Inn and live there, and something needs to be done.

"They have to get it together," Pelzer said. "Like I said, people stay here and they pay good money. The conditions aren't great inside. There are bedbugs, roaches, mice, so this isn't half of what people go through."

WJZ reached out to Comfort Inn for a statement, but has not yet heard back.

Meanwhile, it was announced that the Days Inn across the street will be demolished and turned into affordable housing in an attempt to fix some of these concerns and conditions.

Previous barricade response

In April, a man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following an hours-long barricade in Dundalk that put several schools on lockdown and prompted a shelter-in-place warning for residents, Baltimore County police said. 

The incident began after a neighbor reported that there was shooting damage on their property. When officers responded, a person began shooting at them. 

Several law enforcement agencies responded to the incident, and crisis negotiators and tactical teams spent hours attempting to negotiate with the suspect. Hours later, the man was found dead inside the home.