[LA MESA, Calif. — Sat Dec 6, 12:00 p.m.]
A four-hour standoff in La Mesa ended peacefully Saturday afternoon after a man barricaded himself inside an apartment on Comanche Drive and threatened responding officers, according to La Mesa Police Lt. Gaytan.
Officers were conducting a welfare check around 12 p.m. when the man refused to come out and warned police he would shoot if they entered. A child and another relative were brought to safety as officers began negotiations from outside the unit.
Lt. Gaytan said police believed there might have been a firearm inside, though it was unclear whether the man’s girlfriend had removed it earlier. LMPD deployed its BearCat armored vehicle, a tactical drone, and officers trained in PRT/SRT tactics. A National City Police K9 team also responded, along with deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
After roughly three hours, the man came out on his own and was taken into custody without injuries, Lt. Gaytan confirmed.
A neighbor told SD Slackers that officers had been called to the apartment before and that “sometimes it sounded like a war-zone up there”, due to their ongoing domestic issues.
