A several-hour standoff ended Friday afternoon after police determined a possibly armed man who allegedly battered his mother and fled into a nearby Clairemont canyon was not an imminent threat.
The alleged domestic violence in the 5500 block of Lodi Street was reported shortly before noon, according to San Diego police.
The suspect’s mother reported that her son had left her home after punching and kicking her, possibly carrying a firearm and a BB gun, and went into San Clemente Canyon, just south of state Route 52, SDPD spokesman Darius Jamsetjee said.
As officers surrounded the open-space area and directed the man to surrender, he instead hunkered down under trees and went in and out of a small cave, often talking on a cellphone.
Officers eventually determined that the suspect, who is in his 30s, at times was on the phone with his father, who was in Las Vegas.
About 2:30 p.m., police decided to withdraw from the area “to prevent further escalation,” since it was unclear if the man was armed and because he did not seem to be an imminent threat, Jamsetjee said.
“At the end of the day, the crime (of battery) we have confirmed is a misdemeanor,” the spokesman said.
The suspect’s father, who reported that his son suffers from mental problems and was unlikely to agree to surrender to police, said he was en route from Nevada to pick him up and planned to bring him back to Las Vegas to live with him.
Updated at 4:14 p.m. April 9, 2021
