By Gina Yarbrough
El Cajon, CA–A 49-year-old man was taken into custody late Thursday night following an hours-long standoff with law enforcement at a residence in unincorporated El Cajon, authorities said.
The incident began around noon at a home in the 900 block of Silverbrook Drive, where members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force located Joseph Gonsalves, a wanted felony suspect with an outstanding warrant for domestic violence. He was also under investigation by detectives from the Alpine Sheriff’s Station.
Due to the high-risk nature of the situation, Sheriff’s deputies obtained a search warrant and called in the department’s Special Enforcement Detail. When SWAT deputies attempted to contact Gonsalves just before 6 p.m., he barricaded himself inside the home with a woman, refusing to comply with commands and making multiple threats to deputies, including threats of violence if they entered.
Uncertain whether the woman was being held against her will, deputies deployed a drone to assess the situation. Gonsalves disabled the drone, prompting deputies to introduce chemical agents into the home. The woman later exited and was evaluated by paramedics at the scene. Authorities confirmed she was not being held hostage or involved in any crime.
Despite continued attempts to persuade Gonsalves to surrender peacefully, he refused. Around midnight, SWAT deputies and a Sheriff’s K-9 team entered the home and took Gonsalves into custody. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the standoff. No deputies were injured.
Gonsalves faces charges of felony domestic violence, criminal threats against a public officer, and felony vandalism. Additional charges may be imposed as the investigation progresses.
