Oceanside Police Cruiser. Photo by Chris Stone
A possibly delusional man spotted brandishing a knife at an Oceanside self-storage center Friday holed up in a building on the property when police arrived, prompting an hours-long standoff that ended when he finally surrendered peacefully.
An employee of the business in the 4500 block of Oceanside Boulevard reported the presence of the armed 41-year-old man on the premises about 8 a.m., Oceanside Police spokeswoman Jennifer Atenza said.
When officers tried to contact the suspect, believed to be a local transient, he took refuge inside one of the multi-storage-unit structures on the grounds and refused to come out, at times shouting incoherently, Atenza said.
Police evacuated part of the complex near where the armed man was hunkered down in a corridor and began trying to persuade him to give himself up peacefully. He was posing no public threats, the spokeswoman said.
About 1 p.m., the suspect, whose name was not released, surrendered without further incident after officers fired tear-gas projectiles into the building, Atenza said. He was arrested on suspicion of trespassing and obstructing police, and was designated for a psychological evaluation.
No injuries were reported.
Updated at 4:05 p.m. May 20, 2022
–City News Service