Barricaded subject leads to hours-long Murrieta standoff
MURRIETA, Calif. — A confrontational man who officials say was armed with a pair of scissors was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff in Murrieta Monday afternoon Aug. 31. The man reportedly made a threatening gesture toward officers with the scissors before barricading himself inside a van in a parking lot.
It was not immediately known if the man who led to the incident was arrested or hospitalized for a mental health evaluation after the standoff, which happened just outside the city limits in the parking lot of a commercial complex on the 39000 block of Winchester Rd., between Murrieta Hot Springs Rd. and Winchester Creek/Willows avenues.
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According to witnesses at the scene, yesterday’s incident began when a Murrieta police officer made contact with a man somewhere in the area near the parking lot.
Although it was not immediately known if the man was suspected of committing a crime or what may have led to the initial contact, witnesses have said the man reportedly threatened the officer with a pair of scissors.
He then reportedly fled a short distance on foot and barricading himself inside a silver Honda Odyssey minivan in the shopping center’s parking lot.
An Armored tactical rescue vehicle was eventually brought to the location and used to block the vehicle from leaving and provide extra safety and coverage for officers at the scene. Joe Fanaselle photo
After locking himself inside the van and refusing to follow officers’ orders to exit the vehicle peacefully, officers at the scene requested additional assistance and resources to the location; at which time Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded to the parking lot.
As the standoff was continuing, officials closed Winchester Rd. in both directions, between between Murrieta Hot Springs and Frontage roads; which reportedly caused significant delays for area residents and commuters heading home after work.
During the nearly two-hour standoff an armored tactical rescue vehicle was brought to the scene and ultimately set up directly behind the van, in order to keep it from leaving the parking lot.
Using a loudspeaker, officials and crisis negotiators, along with a therapist from Riverside University Health System’s Community Behavioral Health Assessment Team, continued efforts to coax the man from the vehicle, without success.
Officials eventually fired less-lethal munitions – believed to be bean bag shotgun rounds – to break the van’s windows before firing pepper balls and and other chemical irritants into the vehicle.
A perfectly-timed photo shows the exact moment officials used less-lethal munitions to shatter the barricaded man’s window, just before firing pepper ball rounds and other chemical irritants into the vehicle. Joe Fanaselle photo
After numerous additional attempts to coerce the man from the vehicle, heavily armed officers with ballistic shields eventually approached the van and forced open the door, taking the man into custody without further incident, witnesses reported after the incident.
According to a Murrieta PD social media release, which provided no details regarding what led to the standoff, Winchester Road was fully reopened to regular traffic around 6 p.m.
“There were a lot of options that might have been justified,”Murrieta Police Lt. Tony Conrad later said of the incident and man’s apprehension. “The lieutenant at the scene exercised great restraint, and was being very patient.”
Area resident Joe Fanaselle, who later posted numerous photos of the dramatic incident, later thanks officials; writing, “Outstanding work by all Officers and Deputies at the scene to end this situation peacefully.”
Neither of the involved agencies have released statements regarding this incident and calls to the Murrieta Police Department for more information had not been responded to as of this report
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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 29 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 18 grandchildren.