Update: Suspect in deadly shooting in Watsonville arrested after standoff
WATSONVILLE – A man suspected in a deadly shooting in Santa Cruz County on Monday night was arrested following a standoff in a field that lasted several hours Tuesday, police said.
According to Watsonville Police, officers were called to an agricultural field near Trafton and McGowan roads near Pajaro around noon on Tuesday after the suspect was spotted in his mint green 1967 Chevrolet pickup.
The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Hector Rocha of Watsonville, is accused of shooting a man in the area of 100 West Beach Street in Watsonville around 8:45 p.m. Monday.
Authorities have not released the victim's name. Additional details about the shooting were not immediately available.
Police said Rocha refused to come out of the truck for more than four hours.
The suspect wanted for the murder of a 42-year-old man on West Beach Street has been taken into custody following an hours-long standoff.
— Watsonville Police (@WatsonvillePD) August 9, 2023
DETAILS: https://t.co/9nak3kUAoh pic.twitter.com/IXN9xjerfL
"During that time, our Crisis Negotiators remained in contact with the suspect and eventually convinced him to surrender," police said in a statement.
Rocha has since been booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of murder. According to jail records, he is being held without bail.
Authorities did not say when he would appear in court on the charge.