Man in custody after standoff, use of gas

QUINCY — A Quincy man is in custody after allegedly barricading himself in a home until officers deployed CS gas early Tuesday morning, according to law enforcement officials.

Joel Villela, 28, was booked into the Grant County Jail for investigation of domestic violence, eluding a police vehicle and resisting arrest, as well as an outstanding warrant related to driving while under the influence. Police had been searching for Villela in connection with a domestic disturbance from last week, as well as an outstanding warrant, said Chief Kieth Siebert.

Police spotted Villela driving in Quincy around 4 a.m. Tuesday and attempted to perform a traffic stop, Siebert said. Villela reportedly sped away and ran several stop signs. Officers followed Villela to a home in the 500 block of L Street Southwest in Quincy, where he parked in the alleyway and allegedly barricaded himself in the home.

Officers were warned that Villela may be armed, and rather than going in and potentially causing a lethal encounter, Quincy police officers surrounded the house and waited for the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team and a negotiator from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Siebert said.

During the standoff, officers were able to get two uninvolved family members out of the house, according to a statement from the Quincy police department Facebook page. Officers deployed a flashbang and the tactical response team sent in a robot, but Villela reportedly continued to barricade himself.

After several hours, the CS gas was deployed and Villela surrendered soon afterward.