SWAT team pulls suspect out of car after standoff in grocery store parking lot

A SWAT team in Apple Valley pulled a suspect through his car's window after a standoff in a grocery store parking lot Wednesday. 

The standoff started a little after 11:15 a.m. when deputies tried to pull over the driver near Bear Valley and Navajo Roads. The driver and a passenger eventually parked next to a Stater Bros grocery store but refused to leave the car. 

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the incident caused nearby schools, including Apple Valley High School and Sandia Academy to lock down their campuses. 

Law enforcement tried to get the suspect to comply with their orders by using less-than-lethal munitions but they did not work. After a couple of hours, deputies called in the help of a SWAT team. 

The squad parked their armored truck behind the suspect's red sedan before approaching the car with a ballistic shield and a crowbar. They popped open the suspect's driver-side window before pulling him through the opening and throwing him to the ground. 

Detectives identified him as 39-year-old Jeff Sweat.

Once the SWAT team arrested the suspect, they searched the vehicle and found an "assault-style rifle" in the car as well as a handgun. 

A witness recalled the driver shouting that the weapons were airsoft guns. Photos provided by the department showed that the suspect had an AR-15 style rifle, several high-capacity magazines and multiple rounds of ammunition. 

Sweat was booked with two charges: felon in possession of a firearm and felon in possession of ammunition.