Man holds three women hostage in Encanto apartment

An apparently suicidal man who punched his girlfriend
and held her and two other women in an Encanto apartment released his prisoners
early Thursday morning but remained locked in a standoff with a SWAT team before he
finally surrendered, police said.

Police received a call around midnight reporting domestic violence in an
apartment in the 6900 block of Imperial Avenue, according to San Diego police
Officer Frank Cali. Once there, officers found the man was armed with knives
and holding three women inside, he said.

The man eventually let the women go and briefly stepped out of the
apartment, threatening suicide and telling officers to shoot him, Cali said. He
then ducked back inside.

Two of the women were unharmed but his girlfriend lost teeth when he
punched her in the mouth, said Cali, who described the other two women as
roommates. One of them was the man's mother, according to broadcast reports.

The standoff ended about 6 a.m., when the man peacefully surrendered
following hours of conversation with officers, police said.

Imperial Avenue between Flicker and Rainbow streets was closed to
traffic due to the standoff.