Man Arrested After Standoff in Home With Children

A man who barricaded himself in his ex-girlfriend’s home with two disabled foster children was arrested by sheriff’s deputies Monday morning after a brief standoff.

The two 13-year-olds, one a paraplegic, the other a quadriplegic, were unharmed. The incident began about 5:30 a.m. when Antonio Ortiz reportedly forced his way into his former girlfriend’s house in the 22300 block of Canones Circle.

The woman, whose name was withheld, escaped from the home with the couple’s 18-month-old son about 7 a.m. and called police from a neighbor’s house, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.

When a Sheriff’s Department special weapons team arrived shortly afterward, Ortiz was still in the house with the teenagers.

“He had cut the phone lines so they couldn’t establish contact,” said Carrie Stuart, a Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman. “They [the deputies] were worried about the safety of the kids, so they entered the house at 8:15 a.m. and carried them out.”

Ortiz, 25, of Newhall, was found hiding in the attic about 45 minutes later. Neighbors said the woman told them he was armed with a handgun and had threatened to kill her and the toddler, but no gun was found at the scene, sheriff’s officials said.

Ortiz was arrested and taken to the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s station, where he was held on suspicion of burglary. Bail was set at $10,000. Deputies said he also may face charges of false imprisonment.

Ted and Marilyn Finesilver were awakened when the woman, holding her toddler, knocked on their door and asked to use the phone. They said she told them that her former boyfriend wanted her to go to Mexico to get married.

“She broke up with him months ago and didn’t want to have anything to do with him,” said Marilyn Finesilver. “She’s relieved that he got caught. Now they can all breathe a little easier.”