Police ID burglary suspect arrested after hours-long standoff at H.B. home

Police have identified a 29-year-old Huntington Beach man as the suspect in a burglary and robbery attempt Friday that led to an hours-long standoff with officers.

Huntington Beach police arrested Stephen Jeffrey Felten on suspicion of first-degree robbery, burglary, possession of controlled substances without a prescription and three misdemeanor bench warrants.

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

He is currently in custody at the Theo Lacy jail with bail set at $115,000, according to jail records. He’s scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

The initial burglary report came at 12:49 p.m. Friday 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 at the time. “The suspect fled, entered another residence and barricaded himself inside.”

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

According to authorities, responding officers chased Felten through a nearby nursery but were unable to capture him before he ran into another home and locked himself inside.

Officers eventually used tear gas to immobilize Felten after hours of trying to get him to surrender, Handy said. The police response included sending a K-9 unit, a SWAT team and two small drones to the neighborhood near the intersection of Bushard Street and Yorktown Avenue, as well as deploying a tank-like robot to monitor the home’s interior.

Daniel Langhorne is a contributor to Times Community News.

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