Man arrested after 5-hour standoff in Mesa

A man was arrested after a five-hour standoff with Mesa police at an apartment complex Monday afternoon.

Officers were called around 1 p.m. to the San Angelin Apartments, 1935 S. Sunnyvale Road, in response to a report of a man with outstanding warrant, Mesa police said Tuesday.

Officers negotiated with the man for several hours then fired tear gas into the apartment to get him out of the building, officials said.

Several of the complex’s buildings were evacuated during the standoff.

Ashlynn Lowman-Hilton, a resident at the complex, told The Arizona Republic it appeared the man inside was throwing the tear gas back at officers at one point during the incident. 

Police did not say whether the man or any officers were injured by the tear gas.

Loaman-Hilton said the standoff ended around 6 p.m., and those evacuated were let back into their homes after 6:30 p.m.

Chevy Vicki, another resident of the complex, said Monday’s incident was “scary” because normally the complex is “not that chaotic. 

Police released no other details about the incident, including the man’s identity.