Hours long standoff in Bankers Hill ends in arrest

A man who held San Diego police at bay outside his Bankers Hill apartment for several hours Tuesday gave up and was arrested, authorities said.

The standoff marked the 12th time in roughly three weeks that police had been called to help following incidents involving the man, police spokesperson Lt. Travis Easter said.

The incident started about 10:45 a.m. with a report that a man was screaming and breaking windows in his apartment on Front Street north of West Hawthorn Street, Easter said.

The police spokesman said that when officers arrived, the man, who reportedly had been threatening some sort of harm using the broken glass, refused to come out.

“Based on the nature of the threats and the felony damage, we got SWAT resources and the emergency negotiations team to talk to him,” the lieutenant said. He also noted “the amount of times we have been out” to the man’s residence since July 14 as a factor in the decision to bring in extra resources.

“Officers have been out there multiple times,” he said. “The damage and the nature (of the call) — we are not going to walk away. We are going to address this.”

Police negotiators were on the phone with him “a long time,” Easter said. Eventually, pepper balls were fired as a less-lethal way to flush him out. As officers were about to lob a second round, the man walked out and gave up shortly before 5 p.m.

Easter said the man was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, but he was going to undergo a mental health evaluation “to make sure he gets the help he needs.”