San Jose 11-Hour Standoff Ends In Arrest

San José police say that an 11 hour standoff finally came to an end early Monday morning. Police Sargent Heather Randol told reporters that the standoff took place in a San José home where a man barricaded himself in an attempt to fend off police according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The incident reportedly began after police received an anonymous 911 call reporting a sighting of Mark Daniel Cuellar, a parolee with a warrant out for his arrest. According to San José Mercury News, Cuellar, 42, was reportedly in a home in the 3200 block of Vernice Avenue, near Story and South White roads. Police quickly made their way to the location, but when asked by police to come out, Cuellar refused.

Police told reporters that they began to evacuate neighbors as a safety precaution and then began to surround the house. This was the beginning of a long night for San José officers. As the hours wore on, police tried to coax Cuellar out of the home, and he repeatedly refused.

After a few more hours dragged by, the police were forced to call in the San José SWAT team, who then took over the operation. According to San José Mercury News, Officer Albert Morales said that at one point, Cuellar had claimed that he has actually gotten stuck in a crawl space and couldn’t come out when asked, though that has yet to be proven. After nearly 11 hours the standoff came to an end and the SWAT team moved into the home. Police say they took Cuellar into custody around 5:20 am Monday morning.

In other police news, The Inquisitr stated that a San José cold case murder may finally be picking up some heat after 25 years. Cathy Zimmer, then a 38-year-old mother and student had been strangled to death after attending classes at San Jose State. Police say a new clue may give them some more insight into what happened.

A homemade, multicolored quilt had been found wrapped around Zimmer’s body when she was discovered in the back seat of her own car which had been parked in the short-term parking lot at San José Airport.

This piece of evidence had not been released to the public at the time of the initial investigation, though now police believe that it could offer new information into the case. According to The Inquisitr, police are hoping that after releasing a photo of the quilt, someone may recognize it which could then lead to more information.

In the case of the 11-hour San José standoff, court records show that Ceullar has at least five criminal cases in Santa Clara County according to San José Mercury News. The dates range back to 2007 with the most recent being this past November.

[photo credit: //ichael Patric|{ via photopin cc]