Mother barricaded with month-old infant prompts hours-long standoff in La Mesa

A mother who police suspect was in a mental health crisis barricaded herself and her infant in her La Mesa home Thursday afternoon, prompting a police standoff that stretched into the early evening.

The woman was later taken into custody, police said, and the baby was safe.

The incident started shortly after 1 p.m., when someone called and asked police to check on the baby, fearing that the child was being neglected or abused, La Mesa police Capt. Katy Lynch said.

When officers arrived at the home on Seton Hall Street off Wellesley Street, the woman “appeared to be suffering a severe mental health crisis,” the captain said.

The mother “made threats to the officers” and barricaded herself and the infant in the home, Lynch said.

Lynch said police were made aware that the woman may have had access to firearms. The department’s Special Response Team, commonly referred to as the SWAT team, and crisis negotiators were called to the scene.

At some point during the standoff, an officer made entry into the home via a sliding glass door and sustained a laceration on his arm. He was taken to a hospital for treatment “but is expected to be OK,” Lynch said.

The baby was taken to a hospital for a full evaluation, Lynch said.

The mother was taken into custody on suspicion of making criminal threats and felony child endangerment, Lynch said. She also was taken to a hospital to be medically cleared before she was to be booked into jail.

The standoff appeared to be over by about 6 p.m. Bystander video taken at the scene showed police escorting out a woman with her hands secured behind her back, followed later by a second woman escorted from the home.

No further information was immediately available.