Drones, SWAT team deployed during Glendale barricade standoff
Glendale police arrest barricaded suspect
David Melendez was arrested after barricading himself inside a home on Sierra Vista Drive. Police say the suspect had five outstanding felony warrants dating back to 2023. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Glendale Police say 36-year-old David Melendez was arrested after barricading himself inside a home. At one point, police broke open windows for drones to try and find him.
"I saw the drones. They went inside the house, a neighbor said. "I’ve never seen something like that. You see them in the movies but this was really bad."
The backstory:
It all started Wednesday night near 51st Avenue and Maryland, when officers spotted Melendez, who police say has a violent past.
"We do have an extensive criminal history with Mr. Melendez to include some violent charges: weapons misconduct, burglary, and a multitude of drug offenses. Mr. Melendez was also found to have five active and outstanding felony warrants from Maricopa County," Sgt. Justin Ramsay with the Glendale Police Department said.
Melendez fled and officers chased him to a home on Sierra Vista.
"He jumped over the front yard fence and began violently banging on the door screaming let me in," Ramsay said.
He was let into the home by who officers learned to be his parents and the homeowners. Police then surrounded the home.
"A bunch of cops out. Probably around five to ten patrols and the SWAT team came by yesterday. It was a bad situation," a neighbor said.
Local perspective:
For neighbors who watched Melendez grow up, the police activity was a heartbreaking shock.
"He was my neighbor for a long, long time. I really loved this kid. I don’t know what happened, but I feel very bad because I’ve known him since he was a little kid. He was a good kid," a neighbor said.
During the standoff, police say Melendez came out of the home, using his parents as human shields before going back inside.
After flashbangs, a drone search inside the home, and negotiations all failed, the Glendale SWAT team entered the home and found him wedged inside a small closet behind a water heater, where he was finally taken into custody.
What's next:
"We have two charges: obstruction and we did locate drugs and drug paraphernalia in his backpack as well as the felony warrants. Those felony warrants date back all the way to 2023. And they were all probation violations," Ramsay said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Glendale Police Department, Sgt. Justin Ramsay and an unidentified neighbor.