High School Student Causes 7-Hour Standoff

Police say it started when an argument between a daughter and her parents escalated

A family fight between a San Diego couple and their 18-year-old daughter turned into a seven-hour SWAT standoff affecting an entire neighborhood.

The high school student, who had been kicked out of her Mira Mesa home, broke into the home around 3:30 p.m. according to officials.

โ€œThe daughter at one point pulled a knife. The parents ran out of the house,โ€ San Diego Police Lt. Mark Bennett said.

Dozens of SWAT and police officers stormed the neighborhood near the home on Clover Circle. The first officers on scene reported hearing the racking of a shotgun owned by the father.

โ€œWe went very slowly on this. We didnโ€™t want to force any kind of confrontation,โ€ Bennett said.

Several hours into the standoff, the SWAT team fired pepper balls into the house. All utilities were shut off, including water, gas and electric.

Hours of negotiations through a phone they sent in and from a bullhorn outside finally yielded the result police wanted. Crisis negotiators were able to coax the suspect out around 10:30 p.m.

The area was closed to traffic, and dozens of residents had to be evacuated. The ordeal rattled the nerves of neighbors.

โ€œThe ones closer seemed a little bit scared,โ€ Nicolei Ramos said. โ€œThey either went straight in the house when police told them to evacuate, or some went away from the general area.โ€

The young womanโ€™s name has not been released.

A classmate described her demeanor in math class, although he said she wasn't at school on the day of the standoff.

"She doesn't really go to math class a lot of times, like she shows up rarely doing anything in class, she doesn't pay attention or anything," said Willy Hua, a sophomore at Scripps Ranch High School.

Police said there was a shotgun, a handgun and a rifle inside the house, but the teenager was never armed during the standoff.

No one was injured during the standoff.

The teen may face criminal charges and will likely receive psychological treatment.

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