BARRICADED SUSPECT ARRESTED IN EL CAJON

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East County News Service

March 8, 2015 (El Cajon )—A suspect who vandalized the Villa Serena Motel, attacked the manager, then barricaded himself inside has been arrested.

El Cajon Police received a call shortly after 5 a.m. reporting that a man armed with a bat and knife was breaking windows at the motel, located at 771 El Cajon Boulevard in El Cajon.  Upon arrival, officers were told by the manager that the suspect had knocked on the lobby door.  When the manager answered, the suspect punched the manager in the face with his fist.

The manager and his wife were able to flee to a place of safety in the motel parking lot. The suspect then entered the lobby and closed and locked the door behind him, says Lt. Walt Miller with the El Cajon Police. 

The suspect proceeded to break numerous objects in the lobby, injuring himself in the process. Officers were able make verbal contact and were eventually able to talk the subject into opening the door and exiting the lobby.

Once outside, the man was ordered to get down on the ground so that he could be taken into custody, but refused.  “The officers not knowing if the subject was still armed with the knife and for safety reasons chose to use an electronic control device on the subject to get him to comply with their lawful orders,” Lt. Miller states.

The suspect, 28-year-old Darnell Whitaker, was taken into custody and transported to a local area hospital for treatment of the injuries he sustained while vandalizing motel property.

After the subject is medically cleared he will be booked into jail for burglary, vandalism, committing a felony while on bail and for being under the influence of dangerous drugs, Lt. Whitaker says.


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