OAKLAND — A man recently paroled from prison who took several members of an East Oakland family hostage Monday night was arrested after police negotiators convinced him to let them go, authorities said.
Police said the 32-year-old suspect did not know the family, and investigators were trying to determine why he targeted them.
“The primary focus of the Oakland Police Department is to save lives,” Deputy Chief of Police LeRonne Armstrong said Tuesday. “The officers’ quick response in establishing communication with the gunman led to the safe release of the family, and ultimately the gunman’s surrender.”
The tense situation unfolded at about 7:20 p.m. Monday in the 1400 block of 45th Avenue.
Police said multiple members of a family were being held against their will by an armed man in a home’s upper floor. The man had forced his way inside the home and fired several shots before police arrived, authorities said.
While officers set up a perimeter by blocking off Bancroft Avenue to International Boulevard, police negotiators were able to establish contact with the man and began communicating with him.
As officers worked to gain control of the situation, a man stood outside on a sidewalk and said his wife and four of his five children were inside the home.
Multiple neighbors approached the man and said “no te preocupes,” — Spanish for “don’t worry” — as he forced himself to stand at the end of the block as officers instructed.
A little over an hour later, police negotiators convinced the man to release the hostages, the mother and four children ranging in age from six to teenagers, authorities said..
They exited the home through a window, climbing down a ladder to the ground, where they were reunited with the man.
As the man swept his daughter into his arms when his family approached him, she said to him “I thought I lost you.”
A short time later, the suspect surrendered and was arrested. A gun was recovered inside the home. Authorities said the suspect had recently been released from Pelican Bay prison, but details about why he had been in prison were not immediately available.
It was the third similar standoff to be successfully resolved within five days, including one on High Street and another on Olive Street, authorities said.
Check back for updates.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report.
