SWAT team responds to standoff in parking lot of Apple Valley Stater Bros.
A SWAT team engaged in a standoff with a man refusing to exit a car in the parking lot of an Apple Valley Stater Bros. store before ultimately arresting him on Wednesday afternoon.
The suspect could be seen seated in a red 2002 Jaguar, which San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department SWAT teams positioned both in front of and behind it as the standoff continued at 1:30 p.m. The grocery store is at the northwest corner of Bear Valley and Navajo roads.
Roughly two dozen deputies surrounded the vehicle, which appeared to have had windows smashed by less-lethal projectiles.
A woman who identified herself as the man's mother tried to persuade the man to surrender, shouting, "Get out of the car. Get out of the car."
A crowd of more than 100 people gathered nearby, most with cellphones in hand to take photos and record video.
The hours-long standoff came to an end about 1:45 p.m., when SWAT officers deployed chemical irritants and Taser while rushing the vehicle and yanking the man from the car.
It began about 11:15 a.m. when a deputy pulled over the car after noticing its license plate corresponded to different vehicle, sheriff's officials said.
Inside the vehicle were a man and a woman, sheriff's department spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez said. They initially refused deputies' orders to exit the car. However, the woman surrendered after about an hour, but the man continued to refuse to get out for more than two hours.
Upon searching the car, "We did find an AR-15-type rifle in the vehicle," Rodriguez said.
A pistol and numerous large-capacity magazines were also seized, according to the department.
The man shouted out as he was led away in handcuffs. "They’re trying to protect a prostitution ring,” he said.
Many in the crowd applauded and shouted, “Thank you” to deputies after the SWAT team removed the suspect from the vehicle without lethal force.
Jeff Sweat, 39, of Apple Valley was arrested on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearms and ammunition, according to a sheriff's department statement. The sheriff's department had previously provided a different name in error, officials said.
Bail was set at $30,000 pending an initial court appearance, scheduled Friday in the Victorville branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court, booking records show.
The woman involved in the standoff, described as a 38-year-old Apple Valley resident, was booked on suspicion of resisting police and released on a citation, authorities said.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: SWAT team responds to standoff outside Apple Valley Stater Bros.
