Suspect in Rape Barricades Himself in Placentia House

A man suspected of raping a woman barricaded himself inside a house and was holding off police Thursday night, Placentia police reported.

The man, believed to be armed with a handgun, was alone in the house and refused to emerge when police were led to the house, in the 1500 block of Everglade Circle, by the victim of the alleged rape at about 2:45 p.m., police spokesman Ken Rowley said.

A woman told police she was raped by the suspect, who dropped her off in Anaheim, according to Rowley. She called Anaheim police, who delivered her to authorities in Brea, where the woman believed the crime took place. When it was determined that the attack had occurred in Placentia, she directed Placentia police to the house on Everglade Circle.

Police said about a dozen houses in the area were evacuated and the Orange County’s Sheriff’s Department SWAT team was called in. By 9:15 p.m., a negotiator was talking with the suspect, Rowley said.

No shots had been fired. No other information was available on the suspect, police said.