EXCLUSIVE: Fridley standoff suspect calls Fox 9 newsroom

An armed standoff in a Fridley apartment building near East River Road and Island Park Drive became the direct concern of the Fox 9 newsroom when a desperate, agitated woman called our assignment desk, hung up, and the suspect called back.

"We got a real live hostage situation, here is what's happening, not a hostage, but a standoff," the suspect, Eugene Boos, 42, told us over the phone.

He identified himself as "Larry from Las Vegas," stayed on the phone with us for 76 minutes.

"I'm a 20-year convict, and I'm a f****** criminal, and that's all I know. You know what? You ain't done your research on me,  because I'm an honorable man, and my word is everything to me. If I'm telling you that I'm willing to move out of the way, you better believe it," he told police.

"I don't want to come out, do you understand? If I go out, you guys are going to rush in here, he's got a handgun, you guys are going to shoot him," she told police.

Barricaded inside the building, Boos continued yelling at police, saying he wanted them to back off and needed time and space to say his goodbyes. He said he wanted us to hear the scary situation unfold and added he was willing to back the call with footage. We listened while frantically calling law enforcement for assistance. In the meantime, we did everything possible to deescalate the situation.

Toward the end of the call -- shortly after 2 p.m. -- shots rang out, and the suspect claimed he had been shot in the hand by police as the woman screamed.

"Hey channel 9 news, […] dude, they shot me for no reason. They shot my f****** finger off. They blew my [sic] finger off. They shot me in my f****** hand," he said over the phone.

"You need to expose this improper conduct. This should not need to happen. It was unnecessary. Unnecessary. Now you have a women traumatized who I nearly murdered for nothing, because they are f****** thieves," he said.

Eventually Eden Prairie police arrived to guide us, and a Hennepin County deputy got on the line. At that point, he hung up, apparently wanting nothing to do with them.

Law enforcement from Hennepin County, Fridley, remained on-scene attempting to get Boos to surrender, and he ultimately left on a stretcher around 7 p.m. Residents of other units in the building were evacuated, and the woman with him and the children are safe. The investigation is ongoing.

More: Suspect in Fridley standoff leaves on stretcher