SAN DIEGO — San Diego Police say a 40-year-old burglary suspect who took a homeowner and her elderly father hostage in the Tierrasanta neighborhood Saturday was taken into custody after being shot at by police.
Demetrius Trussell, 40, was booked into jail on charges including suspicion of hot prowl burglary, kidnapping, false imprisonment with a hostage, negligent discharge of a firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle, indecent exposure, assault with the intent to commit a sex crime, sexual battery, multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and a parole hold, according to Lt. Jud Campbell of the San Diego Police Department.
At 12:30 a.m. Saturday, the San Diego Police Communications Center received a report that someone tried to force entry into a residence in Tierrasanta in the 4000 block of Rueda Drive, the lieutenant said. The suspect was believed to have fled in a white minivan.
About 30 minutes later, while officers were still checking the area for the suspect, they received a report that a man tried to force entry into another residence in Tierrasanta in the 5300 block of La Cuenta Drive. Officers responded and again began checking the area for the suspect.
At 2:18 a.m., police received a call that a man had broken into a residence in the 10900 block of Viacha Drive. The homeowner, a 53-year-old woman, had barricaded herself in a room with her father.
As officers arrived at the Viacha residence, they could see a white minivan in the driveway. It had previously been reported stolen in a carjacking. The van matched the description from the first radio call.
"Hearing screams from inside the residence, officers forced entry and confronted the suspect," Campbell said. "Ignoring officers' commands to surrender, the suspect took the victim hostage at gunpoint and forced her into another bedroom ... The suspect exposed himself and sexually battered the homeowner multiple times."
"While officers were attempting to negotiate a safe resolution of the hostage situation, the suspect fired at least one round inside of the room," Lt. Jud Campbell said. "No one appears to have been hit by that round."
Shortly after that, an officer, who had climbed onto a nearby rooftop, used a rifle to fire multiple rounds at the suspect through a window, Campbell said. The suspect was not struck by the rounds but dropped to the floor, threw the gun away, and was taken into custody.
“He missed the suspect, but the suspect laid down and up and stayed down and gave himself up,” Capt. Rich Freedman, San Diego Police Department said.
Officers rushed the homeowner out of her house, who was screaming barefoot in her pajamas. Police also got her father out to safety through the balcony. Officers handcuffed the suspect and took him into custody.
By late Saturday afternoon, there was a heavy police presence in the Tierrasanta neighborhood even several hours after the attempted break-ins, the home invasion and the shooting. Detectives stayed on scene to investigate.
Jerry and Jean Hosenkamp say they were still startled that just a couple of doors down from their Tierrasanta home of 37 years on Viacha Drive, their neighbors were attacked by a burglar.
“I’m just shocked. I am really shocked by the incident because I never expected it to happen here. Early this morning we heard these very loud pops, and I knew it was gunshots, so I leapt out of my bed and so did my cat,” Jean Hosenkamp said.
“Grateful that nobody was hurt really because the shots were thunderous,” Hosenkamp said.
Officers say the white minivan that was found and later towed from the Viacho home driveway had previously been reported stolen in a carjacking. The van matched the description from the first radio call.
The officer who fired the rounds has been employed by the SDPD for about eight years, police said. His current assignment was Eastern Division patrol.
Investigators from the San Diego Police Homicide Unit were called to the scene and were collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. Detectives were still working to establish that the suspect was the same in all three reported incidents.
Anyone with information regarding any of the three incidents was asked to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.