Barricaded Man Surrenders After 8 Hours

An angry, apparently intoxicated parolee armed with a handgun barricaded himself inside his home Wednesday and kept dozens of officers at bay for eight hours before surrendering, police said.

Jimmy Torres, 27, was expected to be booked into Ventura County Jail on several charges, including suspicion of brandishing a firearm, police said.

Residents in Torres’ townhouse community in the 2600 block of Hurricane Cove said they heard Torres and his girlfriend arguing and then saw him leave the home about 10 a.m. and return about 30 minutes later with a gun.

After he drove away from his house, witnesses reported seeing Torres riding around in his car with a friend and waving a gun, said Port Hueneme Police Cmdr. Jerry Beck.

Officers spotted Torres’ car and followed him to his house, where they arrested his passenger. Torres slipped inside his home before police could reach him.

Beck said Torres’ girlfriend and her daughter were inside the house when Torres arrived, but they were allowed to leave within a few minutes.

More than 40 officers, including Oxnard’s SWAT team, evacuated two dozen residents.

Negotiations with Torres failed when he refused to answer his telephone or use a cell phone that officers had tossed inside the house, Beck said.

About 6:30 p.m., officers fired tear gas into a second-story window and minutes later Torres, wearing a Lakers T-shirt, came out of his garage with his hands over his head.