Pleasant Hill police explain de-escalation tactics in handling former officer's SWAT standoff
PLEASANT HILL, Cali. - Pleasant Hill police say the second-round stand-off between officers and a suspected shooter ended the way they had hoped – with the former police officer accused of shooting his wife, surrendering to them peacefully, with no one dead or injured.
After allegedly shooting his wife through the door, Chunliam Saechao barricaded himself in his home in the Sherman Acres neighborhood from Thursday night until his arrest Saturday morning.
He was armed with a shotgun and his phone; he was live tweeting during the entire time.
His neighbors, many blocked from their street for hours, questioned why officers didn't take Saechao into custody sooner.
Over the weekend, police explained their de-escalation strategies, telling the public that they thought it was best to leave the upset former police officer – and Marine – by himself inside the house, under their watchful undercover eyes, instead of barging him to capture him.
"We acknowledge this prolonged and serious event caused great disruption and stoked fear within the Sherman Acres neighborhood and the surrounding community," the department's Facebook post read.
Police changed their tactics over the course of the 40-hour ordeal.
At first, officers responded with armored tanks and heavy weaponry, stationing themselves outside of his house for hours.
By Friday morning, police changed course, deeming Saechao not to be a public threat, and they cleared the scene and left him inside alone without making an arrest.
"Even after disengaging with the suspect during the early morning hours of December 8, the community’s safety and security was consistently monitored and constantly assessed," officers wrote in the post. "Police officers remained ready in the area, and we continued to monitor Mr. Saechao’s social media activity."
Police returned Friday night, once again closing off streets leading up to the neighborhood and enacting a shelter-in-place order.
They say Saechao began shooting at the heavily armored vehicles parked outside his house.
After days of failing to make contact, Saechao finally stepped outside his home and surrendered peacefully to FBI SWAT teams on the scene.
"We are relieved that the tactics employed led to a peaceful resolution, avoiding any bodily injuries or fatalities to members of law enforcement or the surrounding community," said a department spokesperson.
Saechao is now behind bars at the Martinez Detention Facility, where he'll remain until he hears his charges by a judge.
Police will request the Contra Costa County district attorney's office to charge him with multiple felonies, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted murder of a police officer.