All-day barricade situation comes to end; no injuries

More than 11 hours after a man barricaded himself in a house on Rhea Street after an apparent domestic violence incident, police took 21-year-old Kel Avena into custody.

"Everybody worked well together to get this solved without any injuries," Officer Ricardo Alvarado, spokesman for the Maricopa Police Department, said Friday night.

Avena has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and domestic violence on a female family member, police said.

He was taken to Chandler Regional Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation, said Brad Pitassi, spokesman for the Maricopa Fire Department. 

The daylong incident started about 10:30 a.m. Alterra Parkway was blocked off at Sandhill Road as multiple law enforcement agencies arrived to help MPD. Nearby neighbors were evacuated.

It was a waiting game throughout the day.

By 9:30 p.m. the Chandler SWAT team was in the house trying to calm down Avena, and Alvarado said at the time officers planned on using such nonlethal means as pepper spray or tear gas to bring the suspect into custody.

Witnesses reported seeing cops shoot out at least two windows and throw smoke grenades into the house.

The young man's father Jose Avena was on scene by about 9:15 p.m.

About two hours earlier, the suspect's mother and a brother were at the police command center.

“I’m the guy’s brother,” he said as he arrived.

At least one other person left the residence before Kel Avena refused to come out.

MPD set up a command center and at least 20 police and fire vehicles are on scene during the day from agencies including MPD, Maricopa Fire Department, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, and Coolidge and Casa Grande Police departments.

The Chandler Police Department arrived a little after 7 p.m. with three tactical vans, including one with the words “Crisis Negotiation Unit” written on it. A robot also was brought to the scene.

Notice of the incident or the road block apparently was not put out on the city’s Nixle emergency text-alert system until 10:05 p.m. when a message came across that "activity in the Alterra South subdivision has ended all units are clearing the scene. Alterra Parkway will reopen in 30 minutes."