Cathedral City barricade suspect pleads not guilty
A man who allegedly assaulted his roommate and another person with a baseball bat, then holed up in his Cathedral City home for about four hours before surrendering last month, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges stemming from the attacks and an act of vandalism he’s accused of committing while out on bail.
Sandy Kittisit, 41, was arrested Friday on Minerva Road in Cathedral City on suspicion of felony vandalism and committing a felony while out on bail, jail records show. Details on the vandalism case were not immediately available.
Kittisit had been free on bail in the wake of an Aug. 23 standoff with police that began after he allegedly assaulted his roommate and a second person, then barricaded himself inside his home in the 68200 block of Bella Vista Road, blocking the doors with large objects and also trying to set the
residence on fire, according to Cmdr. Julio Luna.
When Cathedral City police responded around 7 a.m. to the home, Kittisit allegedly swung at officers with a bat,”provoking officers to shoot him” with a bean-bag gun, causing him to retreat back into the house, where the standoff continued, Luna said.
Officers could hear Kittisit moving objects around inside the home, which was corroborated after Kittisit surrendered about 11:15 a.m. and officers found objects blocking the doors, Luna said.
Kittisit was charged in late August with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of resisting arrest. He was slated to be arraigned on those charges next month, but that hearing was pushed forward to Tuesday afternoon due to his latest arrest.
He’s being held on $30,000 bail and will return to court Sept. 21 for a felony settlement conference.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
