Sonoma County SWAT Standoff Ends In Shootout; Suspect Killed
KENWOOD (CBS SF) -- A man wanted by Napa County authorities died Wednesday evening following a standoff that began late Tuesday night at a trailer in Kenwood, a Sonoma County sheriff's lieutenant said.
The sheriff's office's SWAT team fired tear gas into the trailer in the 200 block of Hoff Road sometime after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Lt. Bret Sackett said.
The man responded by shooting out of the trailer, striking a residence, Sackett said.
The SWAT team then fired more tear gas into the trailer and the man appeared at the open front door.
The sheriff's office said in a statement, "Perceiving a threat and fearing for their safety, SWAT team members engaged the suspect with their weapons. The suspect fell to the ground and after numerous attempts to communicate with the suspect, the SWAT team approached the suspect with a tactical medic. The suspect was determined to be deceased."
"At this time it is unknown if the suspect died as a result of a self-inflicted wound or as a result of his engagement with SWAT personnel," the statement said.
The unidentified man was wanted by the Napa County Major Crimes Task Force on a warrant in connection with felony firearm, narcotics and child endangerment charges, Sackett said.
The task force asked the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office to serve the warrant at the trailer and the sheriff's office obtained a search warrant, according to Sackett.
Sheriff's deputies tried to serve the warrant around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday. The owner of the trailer surrendered and confirmed the man was inside the trailer with a female who was believed to be a hostage, Sackett said.
The owner also said the man was armed with a rifle, handgun and had body armor, Sackett said.
The sheriff's hostage negotiation team tried to get the man to release the woman. When she was eventually released around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, she confirmed the man was armed with a rifle, according to Sackett.
The Santa Rosa Police Department's SWAT team relieved the sheriff's office's SWAT team around 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sackett said.
During the negotiations, the man confessed to several violent felonies, including a murder, and law enforcement officers tried to verify the man's admissions, Sackett said.
After the man's admissions, the tone of the negotiations changed, Sackett said.
The man became less communicative and threatened to kill himself or create a situation where he would be killed by the officers, the lieutenant said.
The sheriff's office's SWAT team resumed control of the scene around 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Petaluma and Santa Rosa police and the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident.