ESCONDIDO — There were tense moments on a stretch of 15th Street in Escondido on Sunday afternoon as police in tactical gear arrested a man with a history of weapon’s violations for violating the terms of his probation.
Police at around 2 p.m. cordoned off 15th Street in between Juniper and Broadway as special weapons and tactics officers — armed with high-powered rifles and standing behind a body-length shield — entered a duplex and arrested Manuel Lopez, 22, who they said was known to be in violation of his probation status.
Police said the show of force was necessary due to Lopez’s weapons history.
The police activity drew a large crowd of neighbors and passersby to watch the proceedings, which lasted about a half hour.
Police also briefly detained several people who were inside the house, but they were released after Lopez was arrested.
Lopez was arrested and is being held at the Vista Detention Facility on South Melrose and is not eligible for bail, according to the Sheriff Department’s website.
Lopez has four different criminal cases under his name listed in the San Diego Superior Court’s website. The nature of those cases was not known at the time of publication.
