Ceres Police take man into custody after motel standoff
CERES -- Police arrested a Modesto man on parole for homicide after an hours-long standoff Saturday afternoon in Ceres.
Officers were called to the Howard Johnson Express Motel in the 1600 block of Herndon Road for an occupant of a room who reportedly brandished a firearm at the motel manager who was checking rooms that should have been vacated.
When the manager found the occupant still in the room, the man, later identified as 43-year-old Shane Smith, pointed a firearm at the manager and told the manager to leave, according to police.
Officers attempted to communicate with Smith through various means, but he refused. When they approached the motel room, they said they saw Smith pointing a firearm in their direction.
The surrounding motel rooms were evacuated.
With help from the Modesto Special Weapons and Tactics team and deploying chemical agents into the room, Smith came out and surrendered after several hours, police said.
He was arrested for resisting and delaying law enforcement, a parole violation and assault with a deadly weapon, and was booked into the Stanislaus County jail.
