A dispute between two residents of a Sonoma Retirement Community left one man in the hospital and another under arrest after a SWAT team standoff.
On Friday evening, August 1 at 5:55, Sonoma Sheriff’s deputies were called to a home in the Temelec Retirement Community on Mission Drive on reports of a stabbing. They arrived along with emergency medical personnel to find an elderly man suffering from multiple stab wounds to his torso and abdomen, according to Lietenant Tim Duke of the Sheriff’s office. After initial treatment, the man was transported to the hospital with what were described as non life-threatening injuries.
The suspect was identified as Hector Gustavo Vasquez, a 55-year-old resident of the home on Mission. He reportedly went inside the house after the stabbing, and did not come out after the deputies arrived. According to a story from The Press Democrat, the victim of the stabbing is Vasquez’s father, who lives with him at the three bedroom home. His name and age were not divulged.
After Vasquez refused to surrender, the Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit were called to the scene. This team consists of the SWAT team, hostage negotiators, explosive ordinance specialists, and Sonoma County mental health professionals who specialize in crisis negotiation. A search warrant for the home and arrest warrant for Vasquez were also obtained.
Negotiators for the team made an effort to speak with Vasquez, but made no progress. A variety of tactics were tried as the neighborhood was closed off. An audio/video robot was deployed, and loudspeakers were used. As night turned into the early morning hours, the team elected to break in. A bedroom window was breached, and SWAT officers entered the home. Vasquez was found and surrendered without any further resistance. He was taken into custody and booked at 4 am at the Sonoma Main Adult Detention Facility on charges of attempted murder.
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The Press Democrat: Sonoma man recovering from stabbing, son in jail
