Armed Man Who Barricaded Himself In Fremont Dies

FREMONT, CA — A Fremont man who barricaded himself in his condo and set it on fire died in the hospital on Sunday after his actions amassed firefighters, police, SWAT, and armored vehicles to his home in an attempt to battle the blaze and coax him out.

Fremont Police arrived at the condo of William Farris in the 46000 block of Winema Common on May 20 after someone phoned in a welfare check about him, authorities said. The reporting party also advised that Farris had lit his condo on fire and was refusing to leave it.

Firefighters entered the home and attempted to rescue Farris, but he yelled that he had a firearm and ordered everyone to leave, authorities said. The Fire Department attempted to convince Farris to comply, but he threatened them and they were forced to evacuate, they said.

A containment was then set up around the building as firefighters attempted to deal with the fire and evacuate everyone in nearby units.

Authorities decided that the best approach was to attempt to get Farris to exit his condo peacefully, they said. SWAT and negotiation specialists arrived at the scene. Two BearCats, one from Fremont and one from San Leandro, were brought in to assist with any medical emergencies; BearCats are also equipped with special water hose attachments that allow for personnel to combat fires while under the threat of gunfire.

Negotiators continued to communicate with Farris, but despite a large amount of dangerous smoke in his condo, he repeatedly refused to exit it. According to authorities, the negotiations went on for hours as FFD personnel suppressed sporadic fires from the condo at a distance due to his firearm threats.

At about 2:53 p.m., officers decided there was a safe opportunity to contact Farris in his condo. He did not comply and a struggle ensued, police said. He was arrested and taken outside where he received medical attention. During care from the EMTs, Farris experienced an "emergency medical episode," authorities said. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and he was not expected to survive.

Farris' condition continued to deteriorate and on Sunday, May 22, he was taken off life-support and pronounced deceased. The coroner's office will determine the exact cause of death.
The incident is under investigation for arson and the detectives are coordinating with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.

Anyone who may have information about this case is encouraged to call Detective Jake Blass at (510) 790-6963 or email him at jblass@fremont.gov.

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