An assault in Kensington led Tuesday to a lengthy police chase, an hours-long SWAT standoff and an eventual arrest in a rural Ramona neighborhood 25 miles from the site of the original crime, authorities said.
The alleged assailant, 29-year-old Christopher Payne -- who reportedly had attacked another man in the 4100 block of Monroe Avenue in San Diego while armed with a loaded gun -- fled on a motorcycle at about 11:30 a.m. when patrol officers arrived in the area and tried to contact him, according to police.
With officers giving chase, the suspect fled to the northeast, eventually pulling over in the 22700 block of Vista Ramona Road, near East Old Julian Highway in Ramona, Lt. Adam Sharki said.
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"Officers confronted the suspect a second time, but he barricaded himself inside (a) structure," Sharki said.
After the man ignored repeated orders to surrender, police called in a special weapons and tactics team along with crisis negotiators.
Officers believed Payne to be armed and dangerous, Sharki said.
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Police shut down traffic lanes near the site of the standoff as a precaution.
The stalemate did not end until just before 9 p.m. when officers used tear gas on the structure Payne barricaded himself in and he was arrested, police said.
In addition to tear gas, police used a couple of flash bangs to get the suspects' attention during the standoff, Sharki added.
People who live near the area had to take the long way around to get home and those who live on the closed road had to wait until the standoff was resolved before returning home, Sharki said.
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