Former Hostage of Murder Suspect Sues Chula Vista

A man who was held hostage for nearly 24 hours by a murder suspect filed a claim against the city of Chula Vista seeking more than $1 million in damages.

Amir Kolahzadeh, 19, said in his claim that city police “negligently pursued” suspect Robert Wayne Jacobsen into a ReadiCare emergency medical clinic Feb. 27. Police said Jacobsen subsequently took Kolahzadeh and others who were in the clinic hostage.

None of the hostages was hurt during the ordeal, and police eventually were able to flush the suspect out of the clinic to arrest him.

The claim, filed Aug. 18, alleges that pursuing Jacobsen into the clinic caused the hostage-taking. The claim also alleged that the city was negligent in failing to require the clinic to have more than one exit, which would have allowed Kolahzadeh to escape.

Kolahzadeh said in the claim that he has suffered emotional distress, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome since he was taken hostage. He seeks $9,000 for medical expenses and $1 million in general damages.

A claim is a first step toward filing a lawsuit against the city.

Police Chief Rick Emerson defended the police action.

“We worked extremely hard to safeguard everyone who was there,” he said. “I think the results of our activity showed that we were successful to everyone involved.”

Before the hostage-taking, police had been searching for Jacobsen for almost a week because he was the prime suspect in the murder of William Warden, a 74-year-old retired jeweler shot in his home during a robbery.

As the police dragnet tightened, Jacobsen ducked into the clinic. He was spotted by two Chula Vista officers outside, and a shot was fired into the clinic, wounding him.

At that point, the suspect took out a gun and took hostages, police said. Although 10 people were in the building at the time, Jacobsen released six of them when he discovered they were hiding in the back of the clinic.

He then released three more hostages just hours into the standoff. But he clung to Kolahzadeh through the night, into the next morning and afternoon, finally releasing him just after 2 p.m. When Kolahzadeh was released, he was seen shaking hands with Jacobsen, an action which fueled later speculation that he had “bonded” with his captor.

Kolahzadeh denied that charge, saying he was simply trying to stay alive and mollify the suspect.

The city has 30 days to either accept or deny the claim. Attorney Julie Palaferri, representing Kolahzadeh, said she expects the city to deny the claim.

Jacobsen remains in jail awaiting trial on 12 charges stemming from the Warden killing and hostage-taking. A tentative trial date was set for Oct. 19. If found guilty of Warden’s killing, he could face the death penalty.