A wanted man who barricaded himself inside a self-storage unit in Post Falls, Idaho, for 18 hours finally surrendered to police on Tuesday after they threatened to send in a police dog though an adjoining unit. Police were called to Post Falls Mini Storage in the 2800 block of Seltice Way on Monday around 10 a.m. after staff noticed Eric A. Gonzales, who isn’t a tenant of the property, was occupying the unit, according to the source.
Officers maintained contact with Gonzales via phone and from outside the unit during the standoff. Though these conversations, it didn’t appear the 35-year-old was suicidal or a threat to anyone, the source reported. Gonzales also hadn’t committed a crime that prompted excessive action, police said. "It didn't seem worth destroying the property or kicking in the door over," said Post Falls Police Capt. Pat Knight.
Early reports that Gonzales had gas and was threatening to burn himself or the business were unfounded, Knight said. Gonzales did tell police he had a propane tank in the unit to heat it.
"He made himself at home and had been staying there a couple days," Knight said. "He told us that he just wanted to get some sleep as he was tired from a long day of work."
Gonzales was wanted for felony malicious injury to property, failure to appear for a no-contact order violation, and failure to appear for domestic-battery charges. His 13-year criminal history includes arrests for battery, eluding, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended, driving under the influence, probation violations and obstructing.
Residents near the storage facility were temporarily evacuated as a precaution, the source reported.
Sources:
- Bonner County Daily Bee: Storage Unit Standoff Ends With Arrest
