Washington man arrested after 8-hour standoff near Yosemite
Following an eight-hour standoff, Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a Washington man at a market near the entrance of Yosemite National Park on Sunday.
An employee at the Yosemite Lakes County Store, just off Highway 120 and about five miles west of the entrance of the park, called police about the man around 11 a.m., according to a press release.
The employee said the suspect was irate when he entered the store and had a 5-inch sheathed knife visible in his waistband.
Deputy Niccoli Sandelin said the suspect, after causing a disturbance, left the store briefly. Employees tried to lock the door but the man pushed his way back inside.
Once back inside, the suspect began demanding items and gestured toward his knife, Sandelin said.
At that point all five employees in the store left and customers were already outside. Sandelin said the suspect did not try to stop anyone from leaving.
The nearest Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Deputy was an hour away, Sandelin said; Yosemite National Park Law Enforcement was the first to arrive on scene.
Members of the US Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, and California Highway Patrol also responded to the scene and surrounded the store.
Eventually the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Response Unit (SWAT and Crisis Negotiations) was activated and hours of attempted negotiations with the suspect – identified as 39-year-old Robert Loschiavo – followed.
“After approximately eight hours of attempted negotiations with Loschiavo, SWAT eventually entered the store and took Loschiavo into custody without further incident,” according to the press release.
Loschiavo was arrested on suspicion of robbery and resisting arrest.
Sandelin said he’s from Washington. It’s not known why he was in this area.
“We don’t have a motive at this point,” Sandelin said. “The suspect is not from our area; don’t know why he was up here, we don’t know where he was coming from or where he was going; this is someone we have never been in contact with ... and he didn’t know anyone in the store.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2021 at 2:54 PM.
