One of San Diego County’s top 10 most wanted fugitives, 34-year-old Ramiro Espinoza, was arrested today following an approximately eight hour standoff with police.
The incident began at around 5:00 p.m. Thursday night when the Imperial Beach Swat Sheriff’s Department received a tip that Espinoza was in the area after the report of gunfire. One of the deputies responding to the report in the area approached Espinoza and then Espinoza allegedly jumped over a fence and took off running from the deputy. Jan Caldwell, the Sheriff’s spokeswoman, told reporters that shots were fired by someone other than law enforcement, but they were unsure who pulled the trigger.
Suspect in SWAT standoff in Imperial Beach taken into custody just after 1:00 a.m. Thank you for your cooperation during this incident.
— San Diego Sheriff (@SDSheriff) July 26, 2013
Twenty-two homes were evacuated and searched in effort to locate Espinoza. Residents were asked to go to nearby Mar Vista High School. There, the Red Cross had set up a temporary shelter with food, water and beds for the night. “We saw the helicopters, thought it was excitement, then we heard gunshots,” said Jake Skuze, Imperial Beach resident. “We hit the ground. My niece was really frightened.”
Espinoza is wanted for attempted murder after allegedly shooting his girlfriend in the face and chest in May 2013 in front of their 4-year-old daughter.. The 5-foot-5, 150-pound Espinoza was wanted on other charges that included: domestic violence, felony assault and being a felon in possession of a weapon. According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Espinoza was arrested and taken into custody on the 300 block of Elkwood Avenue at around 1:15 a.m. Friday morning.
