Update: Ceres police arrest teargassed suspect after standoff

Update. 1:45 p.m.: The standoff has concluded and the suspect is in custody. Lockdowns have been lifted.

Original story:

Ceres police are attempting to negotiate with a man who has barricaded himself and a woman inside a trailer near Central Valley High School in Ceres.

The woman was on the phone with a family member at about 10:30 a.m. when they heard “what sounds like a fight in the background” before the phone disconnected, said Sgt. Greg Yotsuya. Lt. Chris Perry later said that the woman told family members she’d been assaulted.

The family member called police for a security check on the woman. Officers went to the home at the Colony Park trailer park at 3939 Central Avenue but no one answered.

Yotsuya said officers learned the identity of the man and woman, learned he had warrants for his arrest and that the woman has a restraining order against the man.

He said they are not yet releasing the man’s name and he did not immediately have information about what the warrants are for. He also did not know the relationship between the man and woman.

Central Valley High School and Hanline Elementary School were placed on lockdown and the Department’s SWAT team and Crisis Negotiation Team were activated.

While authorities were waiting for additional resources to arrive, Yotsuya said the man tried to climb out the window.

He said the woman has also appeared at the window but was pulled away by the man. “She doesn’t appear injured but appears under duress,” Yotsuya said.

Officers have used a PA system to try to talk to both of them but have not got a response.

Early Wednesday afternoon, authorities were trying to set up a phone connection.

We will have more on this breaking story later today.

This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 1:15 PM.