Hostage standoff ends at Indiana bank

Some hostages were released early in the standoff

LOWELL, Indiana (CNN) -- A gunman surrendered peacefully to police Tuesday, roughly four-and-a-half hours after taking nine people hostage during an apparent bank robbery, a police spokesman said.

"There were no injuries," said Mike Arredondo, chief of the Lake County Sheriff's Department, adding that the ending to the standoff was "very peaceful."

The drama began at roughly 8:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. EDT) when a woman going into a Centier Bank branch spotted a gunman inside and called police. One witness said the bearded man had a shotgun.

Throughout the morning, several people were released as police negotiated with the gunman, offering him food and cigarettes. Police confirmed three people had been released during negotiations; local television reporters said there were at least five.

The gunman's surrender meant all the hostages were safe, but their exact number remained unclear.

Local police, state police and the FBI had converged outside the bank, evacuating businesses and locking down schools in the area. Traffic was diverted from the area.

Schools in the area were in a lockdown situation, but the students were safe, according to Dr. Donald Yeoman, superintendent of the Tri-Creek School Corporation. Businesses in the area were either evacuated or their employees were told to stay locked inside.

Lowell is located about 45 miles southeast of Chicago.