Three-Hour Standoff Ends With Two Suspects In Custody

CATHEDRAL CITY- Two armed robbery suspects are in custody after a three-hour hostage standoff near Ramon and Date Palm in Cathedral City.

At 6p.m. Tuesday night, Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies tried arresting 25 year-old Daniel Avila of Thermaland 24 year-old Eileen Ortiz of Coachella. Deputies with the Special Enforcement Fugitive Warrant Enforcement Team set up surveillance to make sure the two suspects were inside.

When deputies arrived at the Cathedral City apartment to make the arrest, they say Avila and Ortiz would not come out. Shortly into thestandoff,Ortizgave herself up while carrying her child in her arms. Avila stayed in the apartment with his one-year old son Daniel Jr.

After three hours at 9:20p.m., Avila opened a door, walked outand gave his son to a deputies. He was arrested and taken into custody without incident. The young boy was check out by EMT’s and released to his grandparents. No officers were hurt and no shots were fired. The SWAT team cleared the apartment and found no weapons inside.

CathedralCity police officers put hundreds of nearby parishioners attending a Tuesday Night service at the Bridge Calvary Churchinto lockdown. George Haro was inside the church and says, “We were just praying for the guy and everything that was happening. Police said no one could go in, and no one could go out.”

The two suspectsare accused of attempted murder. The arrest warrant was for assault with a deadly weapon and armed robbery. Thetwo are accused ofabotched robbery in Coachella on August 29th, 2009. Deputies say the two met a door-to-door salesmen at a vacant house and then demanded money. Deputies saywhen they wouldn’t comply,Avilashot one of them in the leg.

The suspects were arrested on suspicion of robbery and kidnapping in October. But Avila posted $100,000 bail and was released, and Ortiz was freed on $25,000 bail.

Both failed to make subsequent court appearances and a bench warrant was issued for their arrests.

During the three hour standoff,officers detoured traffic away from Date Palm south of Ramon, creating a traffic nightmare.

Ortiz was being held in lieu of $100,000, while Avila’s bail is set at $400,000. Both are due in court Friday.