A 33-year-old Las Vegas man was behind bars Thursday on suspicion of attempted murder and other charges after allegedly shooting at San Diego police officers during a nearly 5 1/2-hour standoff at his ex- girlfriend's Bankers Hill apartment.
Titus Nathan Colbert was taken into custody around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday in connection with the standoff with SWAT officers, which prompted evacuations, school lockdowns, road closures and a suspension of flights at nearby Lindbergh Field.
The chain of events that led to Colbert's arrest began shortly after 9 a.m. when officers were sent to investigate a domestic violence-related break- in at the residence in the 2400 block of Brant Street near West Laurel Street, according to San Diego police. Arriving officers found a broken glass sliding door and went inside.
Colbert allegedly opened fire, apparently with a high-powered rifle, through a partially closed door. Bullets narrowly missed officers, who returned fire, exited the unit and summoned a SWAT team, SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings said.
Police said Colbert sporadically fired rounds from the windows of the fourth-floor residence over the next several hours, even as officers fired tear- gas grenades into the apartment.
The suspect's former girlfriend was able to leave the apartment before the gunfire began and was not hurt, police said.
After staying holed up in the unit for more than five hours, Colbert surrendered, Hastings said. He was uninjured, but was taken to a hospital as a precaution before he was booked into jail on suspicion of burglary and three counts of attempted murder, according to police and jail records. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Officers subsequently recovered an assault rifle and a pistol.
During the standoff, officers cleared out some neighboring apartments and closed the street in front of the building along with stretches of Albatross, Curlew and Front streets between Laurel and West Ivy streets. Officials at San Diego International Airport, which lies just across Interstate 5 from the Bankers Hill neighborhood, suspended arrivals until about 2:30 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Nearby City Tree Christian and Washington Elementary schools were placed on lockdown until the end of classes. The Museum School was also placed on lockdown Wednesday. Several St. Paul's senior housing and child-care centers in the area also kept everyone secured indoors.
