SWAT rollout in Del Cerro ends peacefully

DEL CERRO – A 48-year-old Navy veteran was acting strangely in a residential area Monday evening, eventually prompting a call from SWAT forces.

According to Captain David Rohowits of the San Diego Police Department, they received a phone call shortly after 5 p.m. from the man's home in the 6100 block of Hillandale Drive. The call was placed by a neighbor, who is also the man's pastor.

The pastor said the veterans suffered from PTSD and was suffering hallucinations, and that he had come over to the house to help him. The pastor told police that, after speaking with his neighbor, he didn't feel comfortable leaving because he knew the had weapons in the house. The department called SWAT to the scene under the impression the pastor was being held hostage. However, Captain Rohowits says that was not the case; the pastor was concerned about the man's welfare.

After authorities arrived, the aggravated man gave himself up to police peacefully, saying that he needed help. He was taken into custody on a psychiatric hold and escorted to Naval Medical Center in Balboa Park.