Man Surrenders After 10-Hour Barricade in Costa Mesa Home With 2 Children

Man Surrenders After 10-Hour Barricade in Costa Mesa Home With 2 Children
Costa Mesa Civic Center and City Hall in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Nov. 16, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
City News Service
11/3/2021
Updated:
11/3/2021

COSTA MESA, Calif.—A man believed to be armed with a gun barricaded himself inside a Costa Mesa home with his two children on Nov. 3, following what police described as a domestic disturbance, but he surrendered after about a 10-hour standoff.

Police said the children were recovered “safe and sound.”

A woman who reported being assaulted was able to escape the home in the 3200 block of Dakota Avenue following the altercation, which occurred around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Costa Mesa police.

The couple’s two children, whose ages were not immediately known, were still inside the home with the suspect, who has a registered firearm and threatened responding officers, police said.

Nearby homes were evacuated as a SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team and K-9 units—consisting of police officers specialized in performing duties with trained service dogs—took positions around the residence. Traffic was also being diverted from the area.

A crisis-negotiation team was on the scene communicating with the suspect, who surrendered peacefully just before 10:30 a.m., police said.

Police said they notified the Newport Mesa Unified School District about the standoff since two schools are nearby, but there were no reports of disruptions at those campuses.

The relationship between the suspect and the woman is unclear.