Crime & Safety
SWAT Team Mobilized to Arrest Barricaded Man
Christopher Hunter, Santa Cruz local, barricaded himself in his RV Tuesday to resist arrest for domestic violence charges
The Santa Cruz Police SWAT Team was mobilized Tuesday afternoon after Christopher Hunter, a Santa Cruz local, resisted arrest for domestic violence by barricading himself in his RV, which was parked on Limekiln Street by the intersection with Coral Street near Costco and the Homeless Services Center.
What began as a call for a domestic dispute at around 2 p.m. extended into a standoff that closed traffic along Limekiln Street and connecting streets for nearly three hours.
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"We went up to try to arrest him, and he refused to come out, and ended up barricading himself into place," said Zack Friend, spokesperson for the SCPD.
According to Friend, police did not believe Hunter was armed, but mobilized SWAT to assist in the arrest to "exercise an abundance of caution."
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"We checked weapons registries, turns out there were no weapons registered to him, we did some interviews with people who know him, they said they didn't think there were weapons in there with him. So once we thought it was safe we went ahead and forced entry and had him out of there."
After hours of careful planning, SWAT members approached Hunter's RV, broke its windows and used the opening to force him to exit and be arrested.
By resisting arrest, Hunter made a bad day worse. He now faces a long list of criminal charges.
"There were some drugs in there, we arrested him for domestic violence, and of course the charge of 148, of not coming out; obstructing and delaying," said Friend.
Hunter's RV will soon be towed, and traffic has returned to normal along Limekiln street and the surrounding area.