By Lanz Christian Bantildes
Vallejo Times Herald
VALLEJO, Calif. — A five-hour standoff Sunday between SWAT units ended with one dead and two detained.
At about 11:20 a.m., Solano County sheriff deputies responded to reports of shots fired on the 1200 block of Taylor Avenue in unincorporated Vallejo.
Upon arrival, deputies found a person on the ground in the backyard of the home, said Daryl Snedeker, sheriff’s office spokesman.
Shortly after they arrived, police saw a man fleeing the home, Snedeker said.
When he was detained and questioned by deputies, the man said there were six people with a firearm inside the house, Snedeker said.
Deputies, assisted by California Highway Patrol and Vallejo Police officers, set up a perimeter around the home, closing off Taylor Avenue and parts of Benicia Road.
Residents were either evacuated or, if they declined, told to take shelter in their homes and stay away from doors and windows, Snedeker said.
While the Vallejo SWAT unit was not deployed, the Sheriff’s Office did use both its and Vallejo’s Peacekeepers -- armored SWAT entry vehicles -- Snedeker said.
Shortly after sheriff SWAT units made it up to the house, officers determined the person on the ground was dead; a firearm was nearby. The person was not identified. Nor was the cause of death immediately disclosed.
For hours, hostage negotiators tried to make contact with the subjects thought to be in the home. Deputies threw in a phone line, which went unanswered, and used a megaphone to try to communicate with the people inside.
When attempts at communication failed, SWAT officers set off a flash bang grenade and entered the residence at about 4:40 p.m., Snedeker said. A flash bang grenade creates a flash of light and a loud bang meant to distract or stun people.
Upon searching the home, the SWAT unit discovered only one other person, a male hiding in the backyard, Snedeker said.
The male was also taken into custody along with the initial person.
It is unclear how the three people are connected, said Snedeker, who declined to identify any of them pending an investigation.
“It’s got to be done meticulously,” Snedeker said of the investigation.
About 30 officers were on scene during the standoff, which was viewed by dozens of nearby residents.
One Taylor Avenue resident who declined to be named said the house had a history of trouble, but the neighborhood is otherwise a safe and quiet one.
Copyright 2009 Vallejo Times Herald