A 49-year-old man who barricaded himself inside a house in Huntington Beach was taken into custody after a six-hour standoff, police said Friday.
Huntington Beach Police Department officers were called 3:30 p.m. Thursday to a house in the 5700 block of Edinger Avenue. across from Marina High School, regarding a fight in progress. When they arrived, the officers encountered the suspect, identified as Huntington Beach resident Zachary Romanak, who immediately ran back inside, Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman Jessica Cuchilla told City News Service.
Officers at the scene called the department’s Crisis Negotiation Team after Romanak refused to leave the house. The department’s SWAT Team, Major Crimes Unit detectives and Drone Team responded to the scene and continued to negotiate with Romanak, Cuchilla said.
At approximately 9:15 p.m. Thursday, after several hours and obvious signs that Romanak was not going to cooperate, the SWAT team deployed non-lethal ammunition and entered the residence. After several minutes, Romanak exited the house and was taken into custody around 9:30 p.m. without incident, police said.
Officers found a victim inside the house who was severely injured during the standoff and took him to a hospital, according to Cuchilla.
Romanak was booked at the Huntington Beach City Jail.
Anyone with information related to the standoff is asked to call Sgt .Anthony Pham at 714-878-5640. Anonymous calls may be made to OC Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227).