Standoff with San Diego Gunman Ends after Five Hours
- By Sydny Shepard
- Nov 05, 2015
After an emergency call to police from a concerned ex-girlfriend, San Diego law enforcement rushed to the scene to find a man firing off sporadic rounds during a five hour standoff from Bankers Hill penthouse the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Police blocked off the street and surrounding areas during the standoff. They told residents of the building to take shelter and warned them that Colbert has a high-powered rifle. Planes weren’t allowed to land at Lindbergh Field for hours because arriving aircrafts would have had to fly over the condo.
The incident erupted about 9:10 a.m. from a woman who was concerned her ex-boyfriend was in her condo. Two officers and a police dog arrived and took an elevator to the sixth-floor rooftop penthouse. There, they found a broken sliding glass door and went inside.
The officers were immediately shot at through a partially closed door. The officers didn’t return fire and instead they retreated and called for backup.
From there, Colbert walked out of the condo and started shooting again. At least one officer fired back, and Colbert went back inside.
Throughout the afternoon, negotiators tried to persuade Colbert to surrender as he randomly shot from the residence into the neighborhood. SWAT officers shot tear gas into the penthouse several times in an attempt to remove him from the premises.
Right before Colbert surrendered her threw a magazine and an AK-47-like rifle out of a window. Colbert was taken to a hospital as a precaution and then booked into a county jail on attempted murder on a police officer, possession of an assault rifle and other charges.
"We are so grateful, so thankful, no citizens, no officers, no one was injured," San Diego police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said.
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.