A 38-year-old man suspected of threatening a utility worker and officers with a rifle in Burbank was behind bars Thursday.
Burbank Water and Power employees were conducting a routine operation around 2:25 p.m. Wednesday in the 100 block of La Rambla Drive when they encountered the suspect, who pointed what appeared to be a rifle in their direction before retreating to a nearby residence under construction, according to the Burbank Police Department.
Officers responded and spotted him inside a garage. The man refused to exit or comply with officers’ commands, prompting the police to deploy additional resources, including SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Team personnel.
“Officers repeatedly attempted to de-escalate the situation through communication, crisis negotiation, and use of less-lethal options to gain voluntary compliance,” police said in a statement.
The suspect remained inside the residence despite multiple law enforcement efforts, threatening to shoot officers, police said.
SWAT personnel eventually entered the residence after an extended standoff and took the suspect, identified as Jose Beltran-Garcia of Pacoima, into custody on suspicion of multiple felony offenses, including assault with a deadly weapon.
Detectives recovered a pellet rifle during their investigation.
Beltran-Garcia was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail, according to sheriff’s jail records.
Anyone with information regarding the case was urged to contact the Burbank Police Department’s Investigation Division at 818-238-3210.