Hillcrest Standoff Ends: Man Taken Into Custody [UPDATE]

SAN DIEGO, CA – An apparently suicidal man possibly armed with a gun holed up in a Hillcrest home Wednesday, leading to a four-hour police standoff that ended with his arrest.

Officers went to the residence in the 400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue shortly before 8 a.m. in response to a report of a possible abduction underway there, according to San Diego police.

As the patrol personnel arrived, two people came out of the home, but one man remained inside, claiming to have a shotgun and making statements about wanting to harm himself.

Crisis negotiators were called in to try to reason with the suspect, and police blocked off traffic lanes in the immediate area as a public-safety precaution.

The man refused to surrender through the remainder of the morning, Officer Steve Bourasa said. About 12:15 p.m., seeing no progress in the negotiations, police used a non-lethal compliance device and a service dog to subdue the suspect, after which officers were able to get him safely into custody.

Medics took the man, whose name was not released, to Scripps Mercy Hospital for an evaluation, Bourasa said.

It was unclear what officers employed in addition to the canine to subdue the suspect, though it likely was a beanbag shotgun or electric stun gun, the officer said.

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PREVIOUS: WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 12:58 p.m.

The apparently suicidal man, who holed up in a residence on the 400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in Hillcrest this morning, was taken into custody, according to San Diego police.

The man, who was subdued by a non-lethal compliance device and a service dog, was taken to a hospital for an evaluation, authorities said.

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PREVIOUS: WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 10:47 a.m.

Police Wednesday morning surrounded a residence in Hillcrest and were negotiating with a distraught man who claimed to be armed with a shotgun.

Officers initially responded around 7:45 a.m. to a dwelling in the 400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue where a caller reported a possible kidnapping, San Diego police Officer Steve Bourasa said. When officers arrived, two people in the residence came out, but a third person stayed inside, where he claimed to have a shotgun and a desire to harm himself, police said.

Police were unable to confirm if the man had a shotgun, but as of 9:45 a.m., he was still refusing to exit the residence, Bourasa said. Negotiators were attempting to convince him to surrender peacefully.

Motorists were asked to avoid the area near Fourth, Fifth and Pennsylvania avenues, portions of which were expected to be closed until the standoff ended.

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--City News Service/Shutterstock image