Ex-officer arrested in ‘peaceable decision’ of prolonged Nice Hill standoff

A former police detective was taken into custody after he shot at armored automobiles from inside his Nice Hill dwelling early Saturday on the third day of a standoff between him, a SWAT staff and disaster negotiators, police stated.

Chunliam Saechao barricaded himself in his dwelling Thursday after capturing his spouse when she tried to get inside by means of a barricaded storage door, in accordance with police. She was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening accidents and later launched. Simply earlier than 8 a.m. Saturday — greater than 36 hours after police first arrived at Saechao’s dwelling — he willingly exited the home and surrendered to an FBI SWAT staff, in accordance with Nice Hill police. 

Police stated Saechao can be booked into a neighborhood jail on suspicion of a number of felonies, together with assault with a lethal weapon and tried murder on a police officer.

All through the standoff, Saechao had been lively on X, previously generally known as Twitter, with posts leaning into far-right conspiracies and, police stated, indicating he’s in a psychological well being disaster.

Police responded to his posts all through the standoff, at one level saying: “It’s the police division, please reply our calls. We wish to provide help to by means of this peacefully.”

After responding to the preliminary occasion Thursday, officers left the scene after a number of hours of attempting to make contact with Saechao, they stated. 

Nice Hill police stated they remained within the space and continued to observe for security threats regardless of leaving Saechao’s dwelling. Officers returned to the scene Friday evening after investigating, gathering data from his social media and issuing a felony warrant for his arrest. 

In the course of the standoff, police shut down a number of roads within the space and ordered close by residents to shelter in place for over greater than 12 hours as they tried to barter with Saechao through phone and loudspeaker, authorities stated. At one level, Saechao fired a number of rounds at armored police automobiles parked outdoors his home utilizing each a rifle and a shotgun, police stated. No officers had been injured.

After Saechao was arrested, police reopened native roads and lifted the shelter in place order.

“We acknowledge this extended and severe occasion brought on nice disruption and stoked worry inside the Sherman Acres neighborhood and the encircling neighborhood. De-escalation techniques, together with disengagement, are routinely utilized in hope for peaceable resolutions, comparable to this one,” the Police Division stated in a press release Saturday afternoon. “We’re relieved that the techniques employed led to a peaceable decision, avoiding any bodily accidents or fatalities to members of legislation enforcement or the encircling neighborhood.”

Saechao, 40, has been recognized as a retired detective with the Pittsburg Police Division who had served within the U.S. Marines.