One shot was fired but no one was injured during a standoff
between sheriff’s deputies and a man in a southeast San Martin home
early this afternoon.
Also with this story: A map of where the standoff occurred.
One shot was fired but no one was injured during a standoff between sheriff’s deputies and a man in a southeast San Martin home early this afternoon.
After a tense 90 minutes, deputies arrested the man after he entered and exited the house located on the 11000 block of New Avenue, between Church Avenue and Jeanie Lane.
The man started shooting a gun after a family member reported to authorities he was threatening to kill himself and had put a gun to his head.
The man, whom Sheriff’s Deputy Dahlia Rodriguez could only identify as a 40-year-old white man, later surrendered to deputies. It was not clear Wednesday afternoon what exactly the man shot or what type of gun he used.
Deputies posted themselves in the area and closed New Road between Rucker and Church avenues after county communications dispatchers told deputies a woman describing herself as the man’s sister called to report that he was threatening to kill himself. The man has 12 guns registered to him, according to dispatchers. Deputies waited for a hostage negotiation team to arrive at the home but the man’s sister said he was alone in the house.
California Highway Patrol officers also responded to the scene to assist the deputies, and ambulances and paramedics were standing by.
Deputies said the man was initially seen outside the house about 12:45 p.m., but then went back inside.
The house, perched on a small hill about 50 yards from the roadway, was under surveillance by groups of officers stationed at various locations. Crime scene tape crossed the road about 250 yards from the house, visible through the trees at the edge of the property.
Three family members huddled together just inside the crime scene tape. Visibly upset by the incident, they declined to comment.
Shortly after 2 p.m., members of the hostage negotiation team convinced the man to come out of the home.
Deputies were waiting nearby as the man, wearing only a pair of shorts as instructed and holding his hands in the air, walked out onto the driveway where he was met by several officers with guns. Rodriguez said during a standoff situation, the person barricading themselves from officers is typically instructed to wear as little as possible when they surrender so officers can clearly see they are not concealing any weapons in their clothing.
Rodriguez said he will likely be taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Attempts to contact neighbors after the man surrendered to officers were unsuccessful.
Timeline:
At 1:19 p.m., deputies said the man emerged from the house and was in the driveway. They could not see his hands, they said. Within a minute, the man went back inside to the living room and was visible through a window.
At 1:23 p.m., deputies said a shot was fired inside the house, but did not say whether the shot was fired at law enforcement.
At 1:30 p.m., deputies said the man had appeared outside the house again, this time with a large Doberman pinscher.
At 1:36 p.m., deputies said the man walked out of the house and got into a truck, but the truck was not moving. He then got out of the truck and walked into the house smoking a cigarette. He then paused by door and looked at law enforcement. His left hand had a cast on it.
At 1:41 p.m., the man gestured obscenely at law enforcement and dared them to approach him.
At 1:57 p.m., deputies said they were talking with the man on his cell phone.
At 2:05 p.m., deputies said they were about to get the man to come out of the house and into custody.
At 2:15 p.m., deputies said the man came out of the house with his hands up and his shirt off – as deputies instructed him to do – and walked down the driveway.
At 2:17 p.m., deputies said they had the man in handcuffs and were ready to inspect the scene.
View Larger Map
