Overnight Siege Fails as Suspect Escapes

An elusive armed robbery suspect remained at large Friday after escaping an overnight siege in which sheriff’s deputies surrounded a home in the Lincoln Heights area for more than 15 hours, lobbing in tear gas and “flash-bang” grenades.

Two men--David Castillo, 32, and Roberto Flores, 44--were flushed from the home, but deputies said that George Manriquez, 45, the primary suspect they were looking for, managed to escape.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Stoneman said Manriquez--who is wanted for about 25 robberies within the last couple of months at banks and stores in Los Angeles, Downey and South Pasadena--escaped during a chase by Los Angeles police three weeks ago in which one of his partners was killed and two others were arrested.

According to Stoneman, the most recent incident began at about 1 p.m. Thursday when deputies set up a clandestine surveillance outside a home in the 2600 block of Johnston Street after they saw Manriquez, who was believed armed with two handguns, enter the modest, two-story house.

Deputies said that at about 3:30 p.m., Castillo stepped outside the house, apparently spotted an unmarked sheriff’s car, and hastily re-entered the home.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department special weapons team surrounded the house and, by nightfall, about 50 residents from surrounding homes had been evacuated.

Shortly after 1 a.m., deputies began lobbing in six tear-gas grenades. Within a few minutes, Castillo walked out of the house and surrendered. Stoneman said Castillo was wanted on a forgery warrant and was being held at Los Angeles County Jail, with bail set at $25,000.

Stoneman said the deputies “sort of backed off” until dawn, awaiting the arrival of replacements. At about 9 a.m., after a lengthy strategy session, the officers started lobbing in another series of tear-gas grenades, spaced about 10 minutes apart. Between grenades, deputies used a bullhorn to demand that anyone in the house surrender.

At 9:55 a.m., the officers began tossing in the “flash-bang” grenades, which are designed to distract and stun a suspect. Several officers, accompanied by a trained dog, then rushed the building.

Five minutes later, sheriff’s radios broadcast a report that Flores, after “suffering numerous dog bites,” had surrendered inside the home. Flores was booked on suspicion of resisting arrest.

During the search that continued for several more hours, deputies sawed up portions of the flooring, but Manriquez was nowhere to be found.

Detectives said Manriquez is a suspect in a series of robberies that began last March, shortly after he was released from state prison where he had served time for armed robbery.

Police said that on May 1, Manriquez, Rosemary Ulate, 28, Raul Figueroa, 44, and Arthur Morales, 38, held up a Vons market in South Pasadena and fled in a car to the El Sereno area, pursued by South Pasadena police.

When the getaway car crashed into a wall on a dead-end street, Ulate and Figueroa were arrested. Los Angeles police joined the search for the other suspects, and Morales was shot to death by Los Angeles officers when he allegedly reached for his gun. Manriquez escaped.