Police Standoff Ends with Arrest in San Francisco

Police arrest robbery suspect after he barricaded himself inside a marijuana growing site

SOURCE: Associated Press
AUTHOR: Terry Collins

SAN FRANCISCO - Police arrested a robbery suspect Wednesday after a nearly seven-hour standoff that began when he barricaded himself inside a marijuana growing site in San Francisco.

Four people who worked inside the building had been taken hostage but were freed hours before the standoff ended. Police would not say if they had been released by the suspect or rescued by a SWAT team.

The suspect was taken into custody after a tactical team with a police dog rushed the building in an industrial area of the city's Bayview district.

Police credited the dog, named Tomak, with capturing the suspect.

"The tactical team announced their presence and the dog barked, and as they made their way through the building, the suspect surrendered, stating that he did not want to be bitten by the police dog," said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman.

The incident began before 4 a.m. as an attempted robbery by four men who stormed the building that police initially thought was a medical marijuana dispensary, authorities said.

Arriving officers arrested three suspects wearing ski masks who ran from the scene while another person stayed inside and refused to leave the building.

Police quickly set up a three-block perimeter and treated the incident as a potential hostage situation. The SWAT team and negotiators were called.

They waited several hours before rushing the building, where they also discovered about 1,000 marijuana plants. Police later determined that the marijuana grow site is in compliance with permit requirements, Andraychak said.

The names of the suspects have not yet been released. Andraychak said at least one was armed, but he did not say if it was the man involved in the standoff.

The suspects could face charges of burglary, robbery, use of a handgun and conspiracy, he said. The incident remains under investigation.

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