Police officers descended on La Jolla neighborhood Thursday after a man allegedly attacked his girlfriend with a pickaxe and then used a stove to set debris on fire.
San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officer Billy Hernandez said the domestic disturbance began just after 11 a.m. at a home in the 2500 block of Ellentown Drive. Throughout the 11 a.m. hour, officers could be seen surrounding the house, trying to reach out to the suspect.
SDPD Capt. Tina Williams said the suspect and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument that turned violent when he allegedly hit her with a pickaxe.
The victim was able to safely leave the home and was seen speaking with officers. She suffered some domestic violence injuries but did not need to be taken to a hospital.
The suspect, however, stayed inside the house.
Williams said that, as officers tried to contact the man, he was screaming inside the house and banging against the walls. A few times, he walked up to the window and allegedly showed officers a weapon.
“He would come to the window and present himself and then he would go back to the interior of the residence where we couldn’t see him,” Williams explained.
Local
Amid the tense situation, officers began seeing smoke stemming from the house in which the suspect was holed up.
The police captain said the suspect had placed some sort of debris on top of the stove in the kitchen and set it on fire. Firefighters were also called to the scene but the fire did not spread.
Eventually, the suspect tried to leave the house through a sliding glass door leading to the backyard. There, officers were waiting and were able to arrest him.
Williams said the suspect faces charges of attempted assault with a deadly weapon and felony domestic violence. His name was not immediately released.
Williams said police had been called out to the suspect’s home earlier this week when he was in the middle of the street “causing an altercation.” However, when officers arrived, he was already gone.
The captain said that due to the suspect’s erratic behavior, police will evaluate him for possibly being under the influence.
No one else was hurt in the ordeal.
