SANTA MONICA—On Thursday, November 10, a standoff lasted for over an hour with the Santa Monica Police Department and a suspect. The standoff ended when the suspect’s sibling arrived and turned him into the authorities.
At around 8:40 p.m. the SMPD received a call from a man who claimed that someone pulled a gun on him. The dispatcher was able to determine that the caller was located on Ocean Avenue in a black Mercedes.
Officers located the vehicle and attempted to stop the driver, but the driver failed to yield to officers’ commands which prompted a short pursuit.
The driver ended up in the middle of Ocean Avenue between Broadway and Colorado Avenue, near the Santa Monica Pier where officers surrounded the vehicle. As officers approached the vehicle, the driver drove the car forward.
A family member of the driver indicated to police that he recently experienced some mental health issues. The SMPD’s Crisis Negotiations Team was present and attempted to get the driver out of the vehicle, but were unsuccessful.
By 10:45 p.m., authorities unlocked their barricade in an attempt to de-escalate the situation allowing the driver to pass through.
According to Lt. Rudy Flores, Public Information Officer for the SMPD, he informed the Santa Monica Mirror in an email, officers were informed that the driver’s sister convinced him to pull over. She arrived on the scene and asked him to move to the passenger seat. She got into the driver’s seat and drove him to the Marina Del Rey Sheriff’s Station.
Canyon News contacted the Marina Del Rey Sheriff’s Station and SMPD for more information, but did not hear back before print.
