Burglary suspect in custody after police use tear gas to end standoff at Huntington Beach home

A burglary suspect was in custody Friday evening after police used tear gas to end a standoff at a home in Huntington Beach, police said.

An initial report came at 12:49 p.m. in the 9000 block of Krepp Drive, said Huntington Beach police Lt. Julio Mendez.

“The suspect was seen inside a residence and confronted by the resident,” Mendez said. “The suspect fled, entered another residence and barricaded himself inside.”

Police Chief Robert Handy said the suspect used force to flee on a stolen bike. A neighbor followed the suspect in her car and the two eventually collided after a short pursuit, Handy said.

Responding officers chased the suspect through a nearby nursery but were unable to capture him before he ran through the open door at another home and locked himself inside, police said.

Police sent a K-9 unit, a SWAT team and two small drones to the neighborhood near the intersection of Bushard Street and Yorktown Avenue. Officers also deployed a tank-like robot to monitor the home’s interior.

“There were weapons in the home, and that’s what necessitated a SWAT response,” Handy said. “It was a very disciplined, coordinated response.”

The Huntington Beach Fire Department treated the resident of the first house, who was injured in the confrontation.

After hours of trying to get the suspect to surrender, officers used tear gas to immobilize him, Handy said.

“Once we could see him, [SWAT officers] were able to go into the room and take him into custody” at about 6 p.m., Handy said.

The suspect, whose identity was not released, was taken to a hospital for treatment. Handy said he expects he’ll face charges including armed robbery and armed burglary.

Daniel Langhorne is a contributor to Times Community News.

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UPDATES:

This article was originally published at 4:30 p.m. and was later updated with additional information.