Glendale SWAT arrests man with 5 felony warrants after hours-long barricade

A 36-year-old man with five outstanding felony warrants barricaded himself inside his parents’ home Wednesday night, prompting a SWAT response that ended with his arrest, Glendale police said.

David Melendez was acting suspiciously near 51st and Maryland avenues just before 6 p.m. Officers with the department’s Violent Crime Impact Team tried to contact him during a crime-suppression operation, Sgt. Justin Ramsay said at a news conference.

Melendez fled on foot, jumped a fence and banged on the door of his parents nearby home, screaming to be let inside.

As he fled, Melendez dropped a backpack that officers later found contained narcotics and drug paraphernalia, Ramsay said.

A records check revealed Melendez had five active felony warrants, all probation violations dating to 2023, along with a criminal history that includes violent offenses, according to Glendale police.

Glendale police begin an hours long standoff with Melendez

Glendale officers surrounded the home and evacuated neighboring residences.

At one point Melendez stepped outside and stood behind his parents, Ramsay said. Officers fired a pepper ball round that struck Melendez, and he retreated back inside and locked the door.

SWAT members deployed a flashbang and broke two windows to send in drones but could not locate him. When SWAT eventually entered the home, they found Melendez wedged inside a small closet behind a water heater.

He was taken into custody and booked into the Maricopa County jail on two counts of obstruction, drug charges and the outstanding warrants.

No injuries were reported.

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