Photo: 3800 block of La Colina Road
El SOBRANTE — Call it the standoff on La Colina Road. Here’s what happened when the dispute between two neighbors got out of hand. A man pointed a rifle at his neighbor and got arrested. But that was after his whole neighborhood evacuated for six hours of Sunday evening drama.
The 3800 block of La Colina Road in the East Bay Hills is normally a tranquil place, bordering on the edge of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. But the area was anything but tranquil on the evening of June 10.
At 4:20 p.m. the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office received a distress call about a man pointing a rifle and threatening a neighbor.
The caller reported that a man was standing on a balcony while holding a rifle and aiming it toward his neighbor’s home. The man also threatened his neighbor, according to authorities.
Sheriff’s Office deputies dispatched to the scene established a perimeter around the area. They also evacuated neighbors in nearby homes as a precaution.
Deputies made numerous attempts to communicate with the recalcitrant rifleman while he was outside on the balcony. The suspect later retreated inside his residence and barricaded himself there.
While the suspect was hiding inside, deputies repeatedly phoned him, but the suspect kept cutting the conversation short and hanging up on the deputies.
Consequently, deputies assembled a negotiation team outside the home to wear him down. After about six hours elapsed, the suspect identified as 51-year-old Alex Studer surrendered himself peacefully.
His charges are making criminal threats, exhibiting a firearm, and for obstructing a police officer. His bond is $25,000.
