An East County man was behind bars Monday on suspicion of attacking two family members with a baseball bat and a sword, prompting a law enforcement standoff that ended when he allegedly started a fire that gutted a trailer and killed a dog.
The assaults in the 38000 block of Tierra Real Road in Boulevard were reported about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, according to sheriff’s officials. The victims were taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries of undisclosed severity.
When deputies arrived, the suspected assailant, 34-year-old Brian Robert Ellis, was inside a trailer on the property, pacing back and forth and “rambling incoherently,” Sgt. William Hout said.
After Ellis ignored repeated orders to surrender, deputies called in a SWAT team and crisis negotiators. During an ensuing stalemate, the suspect shouted threats at deputies and at one point appeared to be trying to set fire to the trailer, according to Hout.
Finally, after about three hours, the trailer began burning, and Ellis emerged and ran off. Deputies arrested him following a brief foot chase.
Ellis was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of arson, assault and animal cruelty. He was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
The sergeant declined identify the victims or disclose how they are related to the suspect, though he did say one is male and the other female.
–City News Service
