Connecticut hostage standoff ends peacefully

Patrick Arbelo is taken into custody.

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut (CNN) -- After a seven-hour standoff with police, a disgruntled Fairfield University graduate, claiming to have a bomb, surrendered to police at about 11 p.m. ET Tuesday after holding as many as 22 students and a professor hostage, a police spokesman said.

"The hostage-taker surrendered to the Fairfield police as a result of several hours of negotiations between he and our hostage negotiators," said Fairfield Police Sgt. Gene Palazzolo. "He was taken into custody without incident."

The suspect -- identified as Patrick Arbelo -- initially took hostages around 4 p.m. during a religious studies class on the second floor of Canisius Hall, which houses classrooms and administrative offices.

Arbelo was expected to face a number of felony charges, police said, but none had been filed by early Wednesday morning.

VIDEO Officials say a disgruntled Fairfield University graduate surrendered to police after holding as many as 22 students and a professor hostage (February 13) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

"We are so happy this has had a safe ending; that all the hostages are safe and sound and unharmed and that this individual, through negotiation, saw fit with these negotiators to surrender," said Doug Whiting, the university's assistant vice president for public relations.

Arbelo began releasing the hostages in batches throughout the afternoon and into the night. The final hostage, a male student, was freed about six hours after the standoff began.

"All the hostages have been released, and they're all fine. Obviously, they're shaken from a very traumatic situation, but they're all in good health," Palazzolo said earlier Tuesday evening.

Palazzolo said Arbelo made demands prior to his surrender, but authorities would not discuss them.

Immediately after the hostage-taking began, the rest of Canisius Hall and two adjacent buildings, including one residence hall, were evacuated.

"When he walked into the classroom, he claimed to have an explosive device with him in a box or a bag he was carrying," said Whiting.

"The state police bomb squad is on scene and they are examining it," said Fairfield Police Chief Joseph Sambrook. "I don't know if it is a bomb at this point. It was described as a black box with duct tape wrapped around it."

Students and school officials said the professor who was held hostage for several hours is extremely well-liked and that her class, "Voices of Medieval Women," is one of the toughest to get into.

Whiting said he was sure the professor had something to do with helping in the release of the students. "She's one of the stars of our faculty," he said.

Fairfield University is a Jesuit-run Catholic institution with some 5,000 students about 60 miles northeast of New York City.