Somerton PD arrests man after barricading himself

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Somerton Police Department (SPD) responded to a distress call late Saturday night.

In a press release, the incident occurred in the area of Patricia Street and Bingham Avenue at around 9:50pm when SPD received a report of a man acting erratic, "including attempting to jump out of a moving vehicle."

When officers arrived, SPD says they found the man near County 17th Street and Somerton Avenue, and the situation escalated when the man, "without provocation," approached the officers, attempting to enter a police car.

SPD says the man was uncooperative as officers made "multiple verbal commands," which prompted the officer to use a taser, but it had no effect on the man.

After that, the man fled to his home in the area of West 12th Place and South Orange Avenue, where officers were said to have made "further attempts to subdue him with less lethal force," but tasers, chemical spray, and bean bag rounds were proven ineffective, according to SPD.

During that time, SPD says the man "forcibly gained access" to a police car and "engaged in physical altercations with officers," to which he subsequently entered his home, barricading himself, his wife and three children inside.

SPD says the Cocopah Police Department (CPD) assisted them in securing the outside of the house "while waiting for assistance from the Special Response Teams of the Yuma County Sheriff's Office (YCSO) and the Yuma Police Department (YPD.)"

After the Special Response Teams arrived, SPD says the man's wife and children "were safely removed from the house."

According to SPD, the man remained uncooperative despite negotiation attempts, but around 1:20am, the Special Response Team broke into the home and successfully apprehended the man without further incident.

Afterwards, the Somerton-Cocopah Fire Department (SCFD) and Special Response Medics "assessed the condition" of the man, his wife and his children, and the man was subsequently taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) for further evaluation and treatment.

SPD says the investigation remains ongoing, and if anyone has any information regarding the case, they are urged to call SPD at (928) 722-7326.