NEW YORK — A big police presence amassed at a New York City housing project to arrest a man in a 2010 killing, but police have determined he was not there.

The NYPD went to a Lower East Side apartment Wednesday looking for a suspect in the death of a Pace University student.

Police say the man's mother and other relatives were inside and refused to let police inside, so officers initially treated it as a hostage situation.

Police spokesman Paul Browne says the suspect's mother finally agreed to open the door. When they went inside, the officers found only the mother and four others ranging in age from 12 to 19.

Authorities say the student who was killed sold marijuana at an apartment in Manhattan's financial district.