Hostages held at Rancho Sereno
A hostage situation ended without injury after an adult female and infant were able to exit the front door of the home where they had been held for over four hours against their will in the 3300 block of West 13th Place, at the Rancho Sereno development there.
The woman and infant hurried out of the home around 7:53 p.m. Saturday and were taken to safety and found to be unharmed. The suspect remained inside the home, where he had been holding the two since 3:33 p.m., according to a news release from the Yuma Police Department.
At 8:14 p.m., the suspect left the home and confronted officers in the front yard. He was subdued with an electronic stun weapon and taken into custody, the release said.
The suspect had approached the door earlier and then backed away. On a loudspeaker, authorities ordered him to "Come out the front door with your hands up, no weapons."
The name by which police addressed the suspect over the loudspeaker was "Erik James." YPD spokesman Clint Norred would neither confirm nor deny that was the name of the suspect, saying he would release the name when formal charges had been brought against the man.
YPD's Hostage Negotiation Team attempted to contact the suspect on numerous occasions throughout the standoff with limited success, but he refused to leave the home, according to Norred.
Several nearby homes were evacuated, while other neighbors were told to stay inside their homes. The American Red Cross assisted those who were evacuated, the release said.
Police closed off a large area around 33rd Drive and 13th Place. YPD's Special Enforcement Team was also on the scene.
Norred said it is too early to determine a motive for the suspect. He said the case is under investigation.






