Man Suspected of Sexual Battery, Kidnapping in Tierrasanta Home Invasion Due in Court

The man suspected of breaking into a Tierrasanta home and sexually assaulting one of the residents before engaging in a shootout with San Diego police is due in court Wednesday.

Demetrius Trussell, 40, faces 16 charges -- burglary, carjacking, kidnapping, sexual assault, indecent exposure, carjacking, using a person as a shield, and several others -- when he is arraigned in San Diego County court on Tuesday.

San Diego police say Trussell tried to break into two other homes before he successfully entered a home on Viacha Drive near Tierrasanta Boulevard overnight on April 9, 2022.

The break-in prompted the 53-year-old homeowner and her father to barricade themselves in an upstairs room and call 911 but the suspect was able to get into their hideout, SDPD Capt. Rich Freedman said. The man exposed himself and sexually assaulted the woman multiple times, SDPD said.

Officers Trying to Rescue Hostages at Tierrasanta Home Caught in Wild Confrontation With Suspect

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When the responding officers heard screams from inside, they entered the home and tried to get the suspect to surrender. Instead, he took the daughter and father hostage at gunpoint, according to police.

At one point, authorities were able to get the father onto the balcony but the suspect fired at least one bullet toward officers, SDPD said, which prompted an officer to return fire.

An 8-year veteran officer who had climbed onto the next-door neighbor's roof fired at the suspect several times through a window. None of the shots hit the suspect but they did prompt him to surrender to officers, SDPD said.

Police said a stolen white minivan was recovered outside the home. It was believed to be connected to two other break-in attempts within 90 minutes -- on Rueda Drive and La Cuenta Drive.

SDPD's Homicide Unit was investigating the incident because an officer fired their weapon, which is standard.