SAN LEANDRO — A 42-year-old man suspected of assault is in custody at a hospital after an hours-long standoff inside an apartment ended early Thursday, authorities said.
In a statement, police said they were called around 3 p.m. Wednesday to an apartment building on Sweetwater Drive after a report of a man behaving oddly and throwing things from a second-story balcony.
Arriving officers tried to contact the man, who would not come out and began throwing furniture from his balcony. Over several hours outside, officers learned the man had a history of unstable behavior. Authorities spoke with the man’s girlfriend, who was not at home but told them the man had not been taking medication and was home alone with no one at risk of harm.
Realizing no crime had been committed, officers left the apartment but returned shortly before midnight after the girlfriend called to report the man had assaulted her. Officers found her suffering from head and facial injuries, and called for paramedics to the scene.
Police used a bullhorn to ask the man to exit the home, but he remained inside the apartment, yelling and throwing large items outside. Officers summoned members of the department’s SWAT and hostage-negotiations team, and obtained a warrant from an Alameda County judge for the man’s arrest.
Around 5 a.m. Thursday, SWAT team members entered the apartment. When a K-9 found the man barricaded inside a bathroom, he began beating the dog with a wooden stick. As officers arrived, the man began cutting his neck with a piece of broken glass.
Officers detained the man, preventing further self-harm, and a SWAT medic cared for the man, who was later taken to a hospital for treatment and evaluation before he is booked into county jail.
“This was a long and tiring effort by officers to safely detain the subject so he could receive the help he desperately needs,” San Leandro police Lt. Isaac Benabou said.
“These are some of the most dangerous calls our officers have to handle. Patience, strategy and restraint are the keys to a successful outcome. We are thankful that no one was seriously hurt.”
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.