Burglary call leads to hourslong standoff, fire and suspect's death in Collingdale

COLLINGDALE, Pa. (WPVI) -- A 911 call reporting a burglary in progress led to a four-hour police standoff, a fire, and the death of a suspect Tuesday night in Delaware County, according to sources.

The incident began around 9:30 p.m. on the unit block of Rhodes Avenue in Collingdale, when a woman watching a Ring camera from off-site reported seeing two people inside the rowhome.

That woman is the girlfriend of the home's resident, sources said. She was not at the residence at the time and was monitoring the situation remotely, sources said.

Police on the scanner reported it as "two males with firearms inside the house at this time, both wearing face mask and hoodies."

Authorities said the suspects were believed to be attempting to steal thousands of dollars' worth of Air Jordans from the home, which was empty at the time.

Sources said people knew the residence was unoccupied.

A person associated with the resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said, "The faces on the camera, we had never seen them before."

That person is connected to the tenant, identified as 43-year-old Michael Robinson.

Robinson, a former Radnor Middle School teacher's aide, was arrested by U.S. Marshals in February on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and extradited to Texas, where the alleged crimes occurred.

RELATED: Radnor Middle School teacher's aide arrested on Texas sexual assault charge

"He normally has expensive stuff in there, but since he's out of town right now, we removed that stuff, so all you could take was sneakers," the anonymous associate told reporters.

Police and SWAT teams responded to the scene, where the situation escalated into a standoff. At around 2 a.m., police announced, "We're going to introduce gas. Stand by."

Sources said officers deployed tear gas and flash bangs into the home, after which a fire broke out.

One suspect eventually exited the house and was taken into custody. The other suspect was later found dead in the basement, sources said.

Nearby residents described seeing the effects of the police response.

"I saw the tear gas. The smoke was coming out of the windows. Top and bottom," Shawnee Lane said.

After the incident, the home was boarded up. Sources said police removed two guns from inside the residence.

Neighbor Christopher Harrold said the violence hit close to home.

"To hear that in my neighborhood - it's a tough pill to swallow," he said.

Authorities have not released the identities of either suspect. The district attorney's office is handling the case and said it would not comment on an open investigation.