Otay Mesa SWAT standoff ends with suspect’s surrender

A man who allegedly threatened to stab his ex-girlfriend at her Otay Mesa home early Tuesday holed up in his apartment, prompting a five-hour standoff that ended with his arrest, police said.

The woman made a 911 call shortly before 3 a.m. to report that a 31-year-old man she had once dated had pulled a knife on her and chased her through her residence near Coronado Avenue and Interstate 5, according to the San Diego Police Department.

By the time officers arrived, the suspect had fled, Officer Colin Steinbroner said.

Officers then went to the man’s nearby apartment on Caminito Tulipan, where they evacuated surrounding residences and ordered the suspect to surrender. After he refused to do so for nearly four hours, police called in a SWAT team, Steinbroner said.

About 8:15 a.m., after officers deployed “flash-bang” grenades near the front door of the suspect’s home, he finally exited and gave himself up without further incident, according to police.

No injuries were reported.