A man with a felony warrant was taken into custody by local law enforcement after an hours-long standoff on a Woodland residential rooftop Tuesday evening.
The standoff, over in the neighborhood of Porter Street and Marin Place caused multiple schools in the area, including Maxwell Elementary School and Greengate School, to go into lockdown due to the risk to public safety at the time.
Woodland High School and Freeman Elementary School were also placed on lockdown for a brief moment, but that was later lifted when it was known that the WPD had contained the suspect in the neighborhood near Maxwell.
According to Woodland Police Department Sgt. Richard Towle, the suspect, Jeffery Card, a 39-year-old Woodland resident, was wanted for an assault with a deadly weapon felony warrant put out by the Yolo County Sheriff's Office.
Around 1:30 p.m., Card was spotted south of Beamer Street on Ashley Avenue by WPD officers who attempted to initiate a traffic stop. Before that stop could happen, Card took off in his vehicle and eventually hopped out on foot on Inyo Place.
From there, the suspect, who officers learned was likely armed and intended to harm himself or officers, went into a residential backyard and ended up on a few rooftops on Marin Place near Porter Street. After WPD officers set up an immediate perimeter, they spotted him on a residential roof and began negotiations.
During the initial investigation, officers found two discarded handguns and ammunition along the path where the suspect fled on foot.
During this time, the WPD worked with school administrators to place Greengate and Maxwell Elementary on lockdown. Greengate School was successfully evacuated, but Maxwell was not, and they remained locked down.
With dozens of residents and curious individuals looking on from Porter Street, a few attempts were made with the suspect to peacefully bring him down throughout the next several hours, including fulfilling the wish of the man who wanted to see his dog and family who made the trip out from Knights Landing.
At around 4:55 p.m., members of the Yolo County Regional Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) arrived and took over the inner perimeter. Card jumped onto several nearby residential rooftops while continuing his refusal to surrender.
At 5:30 p.m., Card finally gave up and came down off of the residence, where he was taken into custody without further incident. Card was eventually booked into the Yolo County Jail for resisting/delaying officers, evading, prohibited persons in possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle and the warrant he was initially contacted for.
"We would like to thank the Woodland Joint School District for their partnership in keeping the students in this community safe," Towle stated. "Thank you to the students, staff and families who respectfully followed the WJUSD safety protocols and instructions. During a safety incident, everyone must follow all safety instructions to keep all students and staff safe. This was critical for releasing students in a safe and orderly manner. When safety instructions are not followed, it creates delays and unsafe conditions and increases the stress level of everyone involved."
Right after Card was taken into custody by the WPD, the lockdown at Maxwell was lifted, and parents were notified and allowed to pick up their kids.
"We understand that these are difficult times, especially having a child in the school," Towle said. "We are very understanding of that. The decision to lock down the school was based on safety and for the safety of the kids and the public. Although I know parents were frustrated with not being able to immediately access their children, it was definitely for their safety and for everyone involved. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Maxwell initially decided to lock down due to the public safety risk. There was an attempt to evacuate at one point along with Greengate School, but due to the sheer volume of disturbances and parents on the scene, it would not be easily facilitated.
Nearly a dozen school busses transported students of Maxwell and Greengate to Woodland High School, where parents or guardians could pick them up.
"We would like to thank the Woodland Police Department for their partnership in keeping our community safe," Woodland Joint Unified School District Superintendent Elodia Ortega-Lampkin said. "We would especially like to thank our students, staff and families who respectfully followed our safety protocols and instructions.
"During a safety incident, it is of the utmost importance that everyone follows all safety instructions to keep all students and staff safe. This is critical for releasing students in a safe and orderly manner. When safety instructions are not followed, it causes delays, creates unsafe conditions, and increases the stress levels of our students.
"It's times like this that we must all work together," she concluded. "We are very proud of students, staff, and families who followed our safety procedures in an orderly manner and were respectful and patient while our police department navigated the incident to a safe conclusion."
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