An attempt to serve an arrest warrant Monday afternoon on the western edge of the city led to a standoff involving the Santa Maria Police Department’s SWAT team.
The incident began shortly before 2 p.m. when bail agents tried to serve the warrant at an RV parked on La Brea Avenue near A Street, police said.
They believed the wanted suspect — William Mark Kargle, 55 — was inside the RV.
After knocking on the door, the agents and accompanying police officers heard what sounded like someone racking a weapon inside the vehicle.
“For the sake of safety, they backed off,” Cmdr. Phil Hansen told Noozhawk.
One person exited the vehicle, police said, and at least one other person was believed to still be inside.
Officers attempted to contact by phone one person believed to be in the RV, and blasted public-address messages to encourage those inside to leave the vehicle voluntarily.
Hansen said police also were seeking a search warrant for the RV on the basis of “public safety considerations.” With a search warrant in hand, Hansen said, police would decide whether to use chemical agents “or something along those lines to try to get their attention and get them to comply with us.”
“We’re taking it nice and slow, by the numbers,” he said, adding it’s the safest approach for all those involved.
The standoff ended at approximately 9 p.m. after the search warrant was obtained and executed, police said.
During the search warrant service, a BB/pellet rifle was located.
Kargle was taken into custody for outstanding warrants.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.