Jose Carlos Garcia-Flores booking photo
Man Held His Mother Hostage
The Watsonville Police Department arrested 24-year-old Jose Carlos Garcia-Flores after an eight hour stand-off that ended peacefully. Police believed that Garcia-Flores was the same person who called earlier that night claiming that he was hallucinating and armed.
In the very early hours of Sunday, November 15, dispatchers received a call from a man claiming that he was outside his apartment, hallucinating and was armed with a firearm. Dispatchers were able to determine that the call came from the general area of the 300 block of Pennsylvania Drive.
When officers conducted an extensive search they were unable to locate the caller. Later that morning, at around 3:45, dispatchers received another call coming from the mid-300 block of Pennsylvania. The line was open and dispatcher could hear a disturbance over the phone.
The police standoff outside this apartment building lasted 8 hours.
When officers arrived, they heard a woman calling out from a second floor window of an apartment building. The woman told police that she was being held against her will by her son. She also said that he might be armed with more than one firearm.
With the help of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol, Watsonville Police surrounded the building and started a dialogue with Garcia-Flores. Traffic in the area was diverted and precautions for the public’s safety were enacted. Starlight Elementary School was used as a temporary shelter.
Garcia barricaded his mother and himself in a room on the second floor apartment. Negotiators were able to get him to release his mother unharmed after a few hours. After about eight hours, police were able to negotiate with him to remove the barricade and turn himself in.
Garcia-Flores was arrested without further incident. He was taken to Watsonville Community Hospital for medical evaluation. He was then transported to the Santa Cruz County Jail and charged with witness intimidation and false imprisonment.
Authorities did not find any firearms on the premises, but he did have some modified knives.
Garcia-Flores’ record of arrests shows an abuse of drugs or alcohol have created problems in the past. Last year, on November 27 – Thanksgiving Day – he was arrested for disorderly conduct – public intoxication. In April of 2014 he was arrested for having an open container of alcohol in a public park, and for resisting arrest. In November of 2013 he also faced a public intoxication charge.
In August of 2010, records show he was arrested for engaging in street terrorism, which is usually related to gang activity, and for possession of a dangerous weapon.
