Police arrest man after hours-long standoff at Mesa home

Domestic dispute leads to barricade, evacuations in Mesa

Police negotiated with a suspect barricaded inside a home near University Drive and Greenfield Road on Nov. 5 after the incident began as a domestic violence call and a woman was found injured. FOX 10's Steve Nielsen has the details.

MESA, Ariz. - A man is in custody after an hours-long barricade situation at a Mesa home on Wednesday ended with him surrendering to police.

The incident, which began with a domestic dispute, led to two people being hospitalized and the evacuation of nearby homes.

Thomas Zambrano

What we know:

According to Mesa Police, officers on Nov. 5 responded to a domestic violence call at a home near University Drive and Greenfield Road. Once at the scene, police found a woman with multiple injuries.

Mesa Police said the incident involved a fight between 33-year-old Thomas Zambrano and his 27-year-old girlfriend.

After the woman was taken to a hospital for an injury to her face, Zambrano barricaded himself inside a house on Caballero Street.

"Officers later observed the suspect holding what they believed to be a rifle. He was also making threats towards the officers," Mesa Police Det. John Dreyer said.

Police ID man in Mesa standoff

Mesa police identified the man at the center of a standoff as 33-year-old Thomas Zambrano. He is accused of multiple charges, including aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

Police evacuated homes up and down the street. SWAT teams surrounded the house, and after deploying tear gas the first time, police said Zambrano fired multiple shots, one of which struck a nearby home.

"That homeowner did sustain minor injuries as a result of the glass from when that bullet went through the window," Detective Dreyer said.

Tactical teams used a robot, police dogs, and drones during the standoff. Over a loudspeaker, police offered to help Zambrano.

"I heard them say 'everything is OK, we still love you, everything is alright. Come out and talk to us,'" Robert Cruz said. Family members were also heard yelling for him to cooperate.

Zambrano eventually turned himself in, and he was transported to a hospital for tear gas exposure and injuries to his back. His dog was taken from the scene and given to family members.

Zambrano is accused of multiple charges, including aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

Suspect barricaded inside Mesa home

Police say they are negotiating with a suspect who is barricaded inside a home near University Drive and Greenfield Road. Also, a missing teen has returned to her home; an alleged wrong-way driver was stopped on the Loop 303; and multiple people died in a UPS plane crash in Kentucky.

What we don't know:

The woman's current condition is unknown.

Police haven't released any details on what led up to the incident.

What they're saying:

Cruz, who lives in the area, said he had to evacuate his home with his children.

"There was a banging on my front door, so I opened it, and it was the police telling me, 'How many are in your house? We have to escort you out. There's a situation going on with one of your neighbors,'" Cruz said. "So we got dressed, grabbed our things, me and my kids we got in the car, they moved out of the way, so we were just able to get out of our driveway, and we're still here observing what's going on."

Map of where the incident happened