Newport Beach police arrest man suspected of domestic assault after standoff
- Share via
A standoff in Newport Beach’s Westcliff neighborhood ended safely Thursday evening after police detained a man suspected of assault with a deadly weapon during a domestic dispute.
The incident took place at an apartment complex on the 1800 block of Westcliff Drive sometime before 4 p.m., according to Newport Beach Police Department spokesperson Heather Rangel.
It was there the male suspect — whose identity was not yet being made available to the public — reportedly locked himself inside a residence, engaging in an hourslong standoff with officers, Rangel said.
Police issued an alert warning anyone in the vicinity of Westcliff Drive and Bedford Lane, in between Buckingham Lane and Rutland Road to shelter in place, while police worked to safely resolve the situation.
The 4 p.m. warning assured residents the immediate area had been secured and there was no known threat to the general public.
Police vehicles lined Westcliff Drive, blocking all access into the apartment complex. By 5 p.m., a large crowd of bystanders gathered at a shopping center parking lot across the street from the scene. Residents who live nearby said they believed a son had assaulted his mother.
SWAT team members positioned themselves in front of a lower apartment where, according to residents, the incident had occurred. Several occupants of the complex were forced to remain in the parking lot, as access to their apartments was prohibited by the temporary blockade.
Rangel said officers took the man into custody without incident. It is still unknown whether any victim inside the residence was injured, she added.
— Assistant Editor Sara Cardine contributed to this report.
