UPDATE: More details released after Elsinore SWAT standoff yields no suspect

UPDATED: Monday, Jan. 28, 2 p.m.

See original story and photos below.

LAKE ELSINORE — Sheriff’s officials have released additional details after an hours-long SWAT standoff in Lake Elsinore ended with no one in custody last Friday, Jan. 25.

The incident began in the area of Lakeshore Dr. and Clement St. and ended in the 16400 block of Pinyon St., inside Machado Pines Estates, and caused the entire mobile home park to be locked down for several hours. Area residents reported being “trapped” inside their homes, with one person later saying she and a companion spent several hours “huddled, terrified, and not knowing what was happening” – inside the back corner of their residence.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

UPDATE: Hemet woman ID’d after ejected in fatal Menifee DUI crash

DUI suspected after fiery Jurupa Valley wreck

Minor injuries after 3-vehicle, rollover Menifee crash

Responding to an email request for information, Riverside Sheriff’s Media Information Bureau told RCNS today that Friday’s incident began around 5:45 p.m., when deputies assigned to Lake Elsinore PD spotted a “known Hispanic male adult with an outstanding theft warrant” near Lakeshore Dr. and Clement St.

“As officers attempted to contact the subject, he fled on foot,” said RSO’s MIB, who explained the subject was last seen on Pinyon St. in the Machado Pines Estates.

“Additional resources were summoned to the location in an effort to locate and apprehend the subject on his outstanding warrant,” said officials.

Despite their search and the lengthy standoff, deputies were not able to locate the alleged suspect, who they did not identify by name.

“No injuries were reported during this incident, and the Lake Elsinore Police Department would like to thank all of the residents inconvenienced while officers searched for the wanted subject,” said officials.

---

Original story: SWAT, flash-Bangs, robots & K-9 at Elsinore stand-off, but no suspect

LAKE ELSINORE — An hours-long standoff in Lake Elsinore last night featured everything from sheriff’s SWAT and special teams members – as well as a robot, helicopter, and K-9 – but in the end lacked one main component, a suspect to apprehend. Last night’s standoff was one of two major Lake Elsinore incidents yesterday, including the recovery of a man’s body found floating in the lake earlier in the day.

Officials have not yet released any information about the incident, which happened at Machado Pines Estates, south of Lakeshore Dr. and Machado St., but numerous sources have indicated nobody was taken into custody as a result of the standoff.

Residents who live inside the mobile home park now want to know what led to the lengthy incident that kept them from being able to come or go from their homes for so many hours. Telephone and email request sent to the sheriff’s department for information had not been responded to as of this report.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

Man’s lifeless body pulled from Lake Elsinore

Moreno Valley man, 27, killed in 2-car wreck

Horse running loose in Mira Loma hit by car, euthanized

Although officials have not yet confirmed any of the circumstances that led to the incident, what is known is that whatever happened at the mobile home park last night led to a SWAT call out and eventually involved numerous patrol deputies as well as Emergency Service Team and other special teams members, at least one K-9, a sheriff’s helicopter, and a sheriff’s robot.

As the incident was unfolding, deputies closed off the sole entrance leading into the mobile home park, effectively shutting down access to five streets and about 55 homes. A section of Machado St. was also temporarily closed to through traffic.

During the standoff, many area residents took to social media asking for details and information about all the police activity, while others shared first-hand accounts of what they were seeing and hearing.

Some shared videos of the heavy police presence and activity in which deputies can be heard on loudspeakers attempting to hail a man they believed was inside a residence within the small neighborhood. A sheriff’s K-9 stood by and EST members took up tactical positions around the home, as the department’s “Star-9” helicopter circled overhead. One resident later reported that sheriff’s “sharpshooters” had taken up positions on his roof, with their rifles pointed toward the target residence.

In one video shared on social media, several loud booms can be heard, as officials lobbed “flash-bangs” into the home. Flash-bangs are explosive devices that emit a loud bang and bright flash and are intended to momentarily stun and confuse those they are used against. Reports from the scene indicate that officials used as many as a half-dozen or more of the loud devices, with multiple sets of booms reported about 8:15 p.m. and again about 35 minutes later.

Area residents also reported seeing a robot enter the residence before heavily-armed SWAT members swarmed into the home. Officials were not subsequently seen leading anyone from the residence.

Toward the end of the incident as officials were collecting barricades and leaving the area, a deputy at the scene told one of the park’s residents that the man they were looking for was not found inside the home. The deputy did not say what the man was wanted for or provide any further details, other than telling the woman to keep her doors locked and to report any suspicious activity in the area.

And in “Today’s Lighter Side of the News…”: Temecula PD offers helpful advice for would-be bank robbers

Although deputies did not reportedly find the person they were looking for, it is not yet known if anyone else was found to be inside the residence during the standoff.

One person who lives inside the mobile home park but requested to not be identified later told RCNS she had no idea what led to last night’s incident, but that deputies had been at the same home on previous occasions.

Sarah Jensen, a Corona resident who said she had been visiting a friend who lives inside the park when the incident unfolded, later told RCNS she and her companion spent several hours “trapped” inside her friend’s home. She said that after hearing what they believed at the time were gunshots, the pair spent several hours – “huddled, terrified, and not knowing what was happening” – inside the back corner of the residence.

“We were truly scared,” said Jensen. “Now we just want to know what happened and if we need to be afraid of someone who lives right here in the neighborhood.”

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

---

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.