STOREEMPLOYEE STABBEDAFTERARGUMENT

SAN DIEGO

Acustomerstabbedan employee of a supplemental nutritionstore during analtercation over a product returnFriday evening at WestfieldUTCmallin University City, San Diego police said. The attackerstabbed the victim multipletimesinthe backduringtheincident, which policeare investigatingas a robbery, Officer Robert Heimssaid in a news release Paramedics tookthe victim to a hospital, but his condition was not known.

Ithappenedabout 5:50 p.m. justoutsidethe GNC store atthe mall on La Jolla Village Drive,Heimssaid.

The customerandemployee were arguinginsidethe store over a returnwhenthe customer pickedupthe itemandleft.

Theemployee followed himoutsideandstopped him,atwhich timethe customerdropped theitem andstabbedtheemployee, Heimssaid Themanthen picked uptheproducthe’d takenand fled, and was last seenheadingeast toward TownCentre Drive.

Policeprovided onlya vaguedescription ofthe robber, who was notin custodyFridaynight. alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

Two soughtin home invasion

NORTH PARK

San Diego police were searchingfor two mensuspectedin a home-invasion robbery in a North Park apartmentonFriday night.

Officials saidthe 31-yearold victim opened the front doorofhisapartmenton ArizonaStreet just southof University Avenue about 10:45 p.m. to a manhehad recentlymet.

Two menwith gunsentered theapartmentand demandedproperty, police said.

Oneofthe robbers went intoa bedroomwhilethe othermanstayed with the victim,whobegan toyellfor helpand fightwith the gunman according to police. Thevictim was struckinthe headwiththe gun before he was able to wrestle it away, officialssaid.

The weapon turnedout to be a BB gun,policesaid. Theproperty loss to thevictim was still beingdetermined. jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com

SWAT teamsafely apprehends suspect

RANCHOBERNARDO

Astandoffbetweena

SWAT teamand a Rancho Bernardo manended peacefullySaturdayafternoon,aboutsixhoursafter

San Diego police responded to reports of gunfire inthe residential neighborhood.

Theman,whosename was not released was taken into custodyabout2:30 p.m. after dozensofofficers responded to 911 calls ofshots being fired from a residence onRobinia Court near MatinalCircle.

No one was injuredduring theordeal The man’s girlfriendandhersister were in thehome whenthe shootingbeganbutthey were able to make itsafely outofthehome.

Police evacuatednearby residents anddirectedothers to shelter in placeafter receiving theinitial reports ofshotsbeing fired justafter 8:30 a.m.

SanDiego policeOfficer

Darius Jamsetjee said the SWAT teamused tear gas to accessthehomeandtake the man safely into custody. Investigators were stilltrying to determine whether the man would be charged with a crimeortakenfora mental-health evaluation, hesaid. jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com

Suspectin custody after boat standoff

OCEANSIDE Amansuspectedof stealing a motorbike led Oceansidepoliceofficerson abrief pursuitFriday afternoon,then jumpedintoa smallboaton the SanLuis ReyRiverand refused to surrenderforaboutseven hours,police officialssaid. Thestandoffended around 11 p.m. whenthe man finally gave upand dropped a handguninto the water, allowingofficers to safelyapproach andtake him into custody Oceanside policespokesperson JenniferAtenza said.

Theordeal began a little after3 p.m.whenanofficer spotted the man who was allegedly wantedon a felony warrant, riding a stolenmotor sport bike,Atenza said.

Theofficerattempted to stoptheman but he rode off toward theSan Luis Rey RiverTrailbetween FoussatRoad andBenetRoad.

Atenza didnot have detailsabouthow heendedup intheboat,butsaidshebelieved hehappenedupon thesmall watercraft and jumpedin.

“We hadanarmed suspectin a body of water, which made ittactically very difficult to apprehend himsafely,”Atenza said.

“We askedhim many times overmany hours to remove

the weapon fromhis reach.

Acrisisnegotiation team responded to theriver alongwiththeSWAT unit, firefightersandlifeguards fromOceansideand a helicoptercrew fromthe Sheriff ’s Department,Atenza said.

“Everyone workedtirelessly to give him every opportunityto endthispeacefully,” Atenza said. “They keptthedialogue going throughoutthenight.They workedwithhim,talked to him They were extremely patient. Around 11 p.m.,theman placeda handgunonthe frontof theboat,and shortlythereafter pushedit into the water, allowingofficers to approach andtake himinto custody, according to Atenza, who saidnoinjuries werereported.

Theman’s name was not releasedFriday night. alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

An off-duty New York Citypoliceofficer wasshot intheleft footSaturdayas he was leaving a vigil ata Manhattan community center, police said It was the seventhtimeanNYPD officer hasbeenshotthis year

Theshooting happened around4:30 p.m.near Broadway and 130th Street intheborough’s Manhattanvilleneighborhood.The officer wastaken to Mount Sinai Morningsidehospital instable conditionandis expected to makea full recovery policesaid.

Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, head oftheNYPD’s HousingBureau,said the officer saw two men firing gunshotsashe was leavingthe buildingandappeared to have beenstruckashe was divingfor cover.

Maddrey saidit wasn’t cleariftheofficersaidany- thing to themenoridentifiedhimselfas a policeofficer No arrestshave been made.

Maddrey saidtheofficer, who’s assigned to policing a housing complex in theBronx,didn’t realizehe was woundeduntil a few minuteslaterwhenhefelt paininhisfoot while assisting respondingofficers with a description ofthe suspects.

On Tuesday, an off-duty officer was shotinthe shoulderduringanattempted robbery ashe was driving to work inthe Rockaway section of Queens.

Lastmonth, two officers were fatally wounded while responding to a domestic dispute callata Harlemapartment. “Ourpeople andour communities,ourneighborhoods, we shouldn’t have to live like this,” Maddreysaid.

MICHAEL SMOLEN S Columnist

Theshadow ofSanDiego’s deadlyhepatitisA outbreakstilllooms over the city.

Thosedark days come to mind whenever sickness linked to unsanitary conditionsstrikeshomeless residents.

Such was thecasewhen stomach illness was reported amongpeopleliving inthe growinghomeless encampment alongSports ArenaBoulevard,which the city citedinlaunching two majorcleanupsofthesqualid conditionsthere last week.

Late last year an outbreakofshigellosis which cancause fever, stomach crampsanddiarrhea also broughtbackshuddering memories ofhow hepatitisA spreadthrough,andbeyond,the region’s homeless populationin2016-18,killing 20people and hospitalizing hundreds.

Local governmentagencies then were caught flatfooted— despite yearsof warnings thatsucha fate was likelydestined— but eventuallydid jump to action installinghandwashingstationsaround the region,power-washing sidewalks and expanding shelteropportunities.

Oneofthefew positives to comeoutofthose grim times was somethingofa desperation experiment.

Whilelargetenthomeless shelters were authorized andbeingsetup,thecity andhomelessserviceagencies created a temporary camp on a public works yard northeast of downtown. Separate tentsforindividualsandfamilies were placedondesignated spacesin a parkingarea. Foodandtransportation were provided,and restrooms,showers,playareas and commonareas with televisions were available.

Newsstoriesatthetime were filledwith thankful testimonials fromthenew residentsandtheaccompanyingphotographsand videosshoweda tidy orderlycamp.Thefacility just southoftheBalboaPark Golf Course wasa welcomed rayofoptimismamidthe larger dourscenecreatedby thehepatitisoutbreak.

“It was reallykindof cool,”Bob McElroysaidlast week.“It worked out really well.”

SEE SMOLENS • B14