Fullerton PD ends standoff with residential burglary suspects peacefully; four in custody

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A standoff that lasted more than five hours ended peacefully in Fullerton on Wednesday after police located and took into custody a man suspected of being part of a four-person team of would-be residential burglars.

Three of the suspects were arrested shortly after the noon call came in Jan. 13 regarding suspicious persons in the 1400 block of West Southgate Avenue.

As officers arrived on the scene, the fourth suspect, later identified as Steven Sanchez, 19, of Paramount, tossed his handgun on the ground and fled.

SWAT team members from Fullerton PD ride a SWAT truck up to a church building where a possibility armed male is held up. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

North County SWAT officers roll to the scene of a standoff Wednesday in the 1800 block of West Avenue in Fullerton.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

He holed himself up in a vacant church, prompting the assistance of North County SWAT, the Anaheim PD’s K9 unit and a Huntington Beach PD and California Highway Patrol helicopter.

The standoff in the 1800 block of West Avenue ended around 6 p.m. when North County SWAT officers located Sanchez in the church and arrested him without incident.

The other suspects are Romell Knutt, 21, of Los Angeles; and Allen Cato, 19, of Los Angeles. The fourth suspect, 15, is not being identified by the FPD because he is a minor.

Xxxxx. FPD booking photo

Steven Sanchez. FPD booking photo

Xxxxx. FPD booking photo

Romell Knutt. FPD booking photo

Xxxx. FPD booking photo

Allen Cato. FPD booking photo

A Fullerton PD officer stands guard on West Av. near Brookhurst Rd. in Fullerton as a possibility armed male is held up in a nearby building. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

A Fullerton PD officer stands guard on West Avenue near Brookhurst Road in Fullerton as a possibility armed male hides in a vacant building.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

People from the Sierra Health Center hug after being released from the building on West Ave. near Brookhurst Rd. in Fullerton as police search for a possibility armed male suspect. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

People from the Sierra Health Center hug after being released from the building on West Avenue near Brookhurst Road in Fullerton as police search for a possibility armed male suspect Wednesday.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

SWAT team members climb a Fullerton Fire Truck ladder to the roof of a Fullerton Presbyterian Church building in search of a suspect. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

North County SWAT members climb a Fullerton Fire Truck ladder to the roof of a building to search for the suspect.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

A SWAT officer gives a thumbs up to team members after climbing a Fullerton Fire Truck ladder to the roof of a Fullerton Presbyterian Church building in search of a suspect. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

A North County SWAT officer gives a thumbs-up to team members after climbing a Fullerton Fire Truck ladder to the roof of a building in search of a suspect.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

SWAT team members from Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia and La Palma police ride a SWAT truck up to a church building where a possibility armed male is held up. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

North County SWAT team members from Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia and La Palma ride a SWAT vehicle up to a church building where a possibility armed male was holed up Wednesday.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC

A North County SWAT officer with his K9 from the Fullerton PD stands guard. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC