Police standoff a false alarm

A standoff between police and a couple over a U-Haul truck that blocked several streets Tuesday occurred because of misunderstandings, according to Chattanooga police.

Kimberly Murr, 39, and Corey L. Smith, 35, were charged with failing to get out of a vehicle when they were asked to by police, said Officer Nathan Hartwig, police spokesman.

Police received a call from a manager from the U-Haul location on the corner of Broad and 20th streets about 7:30 p.m. The manager told police a truck there had been reported stolen out of Knoxville. Police stopped the vehicle and asked the couple inside to get out, Hartwig said.

Murr initially refused to get out of the truck because she believed there was a warrant out for her arrest. The incident turned out to be nothing, however, according to Hartwig.

"The truck is not technically stolen out of Knoxville, the manager read something wrong, and there is not a warrant out for Kimberly's arrest," he said.

The standoff attracted a lot of attention from passers-by, according to witnesses.

"They're just coming in here talking about the U-Haul place, saying all kinds of crazy stuff," said Kymberli Brooks, a cashier at the Mapco Mart on 20th Street. "Like there's a hostage situation, or a SWAT team."