by Steven Felschundneff | steven@claremont-courier.com

Police from multiple agencies have been in an hourslong standoff with a suspect who has barricaded himself in a Village-adjacent apartment complex.

The standoff began after the Claremont Police Department received a call around 7 a.m. about alleged domestic violence in the 100 block of N. Olive Street, according to Lt. Jason Walters.

The large police response, including a SWAT team from the Foothill Special Enforcement Team, plus officers from Claremont, La Verne, Glendora, and Monrovia, was necessary due to the seriousness of the alleged crime, Walters said. The male suspect is the only one in the apartment.

Walters said police do no know if the suspect is armed and could not confirm whether officers were in communication with him.

A SWAT team with the Foothill Special Enforcement Team stands by on Friday outside a home where a man had barricaded himself inside. Courier photo/Steven Felschundneff

Police had Olive Street blocked, and the SWAT team with several officers and two armored cars stood by in a defensive position outside the apartment where the man is believed to be holed up.

Yesenia Ochoa, who was standing on the corner of Green Street and Olive, Friday morning, said the man barricaded in the apartment is her brother Jorge Gonzalez.

According to Ochoa, Gonzalez and his wife of 24 years had been in a “loud argument” with the windows open and the neighbors apparently called the police. She said her brother, who is in his late 30s, is “not a dangerous person,” and that the family has never had issues with him. He is a handyman by trade but is currently not working.

Gonzalez is one of seven siblings who grew up in Pomona and he moved to the apartment on Olive two years ago, according to Ochoa. She last saw Gonzalez three weeks ago but speaks with him on the phone regularly. However, she was not able to get him on the phone Friday morning.

She said her sister-in-law was exiting the apartment with plans to drop off her daughter when the police arrived and ordered her to leave.

Another witness said police repeatedly ordered the suspect to exit his home early in the standoff.

The Courier, which is located on Olive just two doors away, will update this story as details emerge.