A member of the California National Guard who was allegedly intoxicated was arrested after a tense half-hour standoff with police in the 2900 block of Dale Avenue on Wednesday evening.
The drama unfolded when someone called the CHP 911 dispatch and the call was transferred to Ceres Police. The 9:31 p.m. caller, believed to be Ruben Olvera, 23, of Ceres, said he had someone at gunpoint at his house and that he was on the porch wearing a tactical vest. When officers arrived the front of the house was dark.
Police saw Olvera equipped with a bulky military style vest to stop high caliber rifle rounds. He was holding a beer can in his right hand and flipped off officers with his left hand, said Sgt. Jose Berber of the Ceres Police Department. Officers ordered him to keep his hands in clear view but he put down the can of beer and widened his stance, then bent his upper body and reached toward his back with his right hand. Officers believed that Olvera was armed and took cover behind the car. Olvera was repeatedly told to show his hands and lay down on the ground but he refused.
Assisting Ceres police in the standoff were the California Highway Patrol, Modesto police and Sheriff's deputies.
An officer drove the department's armored vehicle and parked it in the yard to shield officers who were trying to negotiate with him.
Olvera continued to conceal his left hand behind his back as if he had a weapon. He refused orders to show his hands, as if ready to pull out a weapon, said Sgt. Berber.
An officer fired two rounds from a bean bag shotgun at his chest but the vest protected him. Shots to his legs had no effect either. A fifth round was shot at his right shoulder but glanced off and grazed his face. Olvera surrendered and dropped to the ground where he was handcuffed. The drama ended at 10:08 p.m.
Believing that someone in the house may have been injured or killed, police swept through the house where they found and interrogated an unharmed 29-year-old female.
Police found a Kevlar helmet. He had a knife in his pocket and stuffed two Coors Lite beer cans into his vest.
Olvera was transported to the hospital for treatment of facial abrasions and then booked on charges of resisting arrest and public intoxication.
The motive for the incident is still under investigation.
