Modesto minimarket open again after standoff

MODESTO -- An east Modesto gas station and convenience store reopened Monday after a man trashed the place and held off police for nearly five hours Sunday night.

Police have not released the name of the 36-year-old suspect because he remained hospitalized Monday.

Police say he had an argument with another man about 6 p.m. in the Shell gas station on Oakdale Road near Merle Avenue. Armed with a chain, the man knocked down shelves, waved pieces of broken glass around and resisted police attempts to detain him with a Taser.

Lt. Rick Armendariz said Monday the man was under the influence of opiates and amphetamines.

Police evacuated the store and the taqueria that shares space with it; negotiators talked with the man through a side door. At one point, an officer saw the suspect putting broken glass into his mouth, Armendariz said.

Once police ensured the man was alone inside the business, Armendariz said, officers were able to slow the tempo of the scene and approach the situation with less-than-lethal resources.

The unfolding events and the police tape that surrounded the scene drew a large crowd of onlookers, including neighbors, folks attending Mass at nearby St. Joseph's Catholic Church and a family toting a newborn.

SWAT team members entered the store just before 11 p.m. and took the man into custody in a back office, where he had barricaded himself by putting debris in front of the door. He struggled with officers as they loaded him onto a gurney and into an ambulance.

Armendariz said Monday that the suspect faces a number of charges. He said detectives will look over surveillance video and talk to additional witnesses.

Upon his release from the hospital, the man likely will be charged with felony vandalism. Armendariz said he caused $2,000 to $3,000 in damage to the store. He might be charged with crimes related to the threats he made to customers and police officers, brandishing a weapon and being under the influence.

Bee Online News Editor Brian Clark can be reached at bclark@modbee.com or (209) 578-2362.