An hours-long standoff at an Irvine home ended Friday when police used tear gas to flush out a 32-year-old man who had barricaded himself inside after a family disturbance. Officers handcuffed the man in the driveway around 12:20 p.m. following a loud distraction device and tear gas deployment that came after negotiators failed to get him to respond.
911 Call Sparked Hours-Long Response
The confrontation began shortly before 8 a.m. when the Irvine Police Department received a 911 call reporting that someone was being threatened inside a home near Villanova and Calavera, according to the Los Angeles Times. The man at the center of the standoff is the son of the resident who owns the home, the paper reported. Two family members exited safely early on, but the suspect stayed inside for hours as officers tried repeatedly to reach him.
Police spokesperson Kyle Oldoerp said the suspect did not respond to phone calls, PA announcements, or other contact attempts, the outlet’s report notes. Investigators believed the man was armed with a gun, per the same account. Officers then escalated their tactical response.
SWAT, Drones and Armored Vehicles Deployed
Irvine police dispatched their SWAT team along with three armored vehicles and a drone team to manage the standoff, the report states. Irvine Police Department reported 4,300 drone uses, more than 850 hours and 21 pilots, according to the department’s own reporting.
When negotiations stalled, officers used a distraction device and tear gas to force the man from the two-story home, according to the Los Angeles Times account. He was taken into custody in the driveway and, once he was in handcuffs, police entered the home and began gathering evidence, the paper reported.
Formal Charges and What They Could Mean
The suspect was formally booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats after officers recovered a firearm inside the home, according to the Los Angeles Times. Oldoerp had earlier said the man faced a possible assault with a deadly weapon charge, a characterization that was confirmed in the formal booking…