SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The body of a man accused of stabbing his wife was found inside a home in Imperial Beach following a SWAT standoff Sunday.
The standoff started shortly before 3:00 p.m. when the suspect, whom sheriff's officials identified as 41-year-old Aurelio Perez, barricaded himself in a home in the 500 block of Florence Street and refused to surrender. The standoff lasted for nearly six hours and during that time nearby homes had to be evacuated as a precaution and both Calla and Cypress Avenues were closed.
Sheriff's deputies attempted to make contact with Perez using crisis negotiators, however, they were unable to get a response. Deputies also attempted to force Perez to exit the apartment by deploying both tear gas canisters and flash bangs. Eventually, a police robot was sent in and sheriff's deputies observed the form of a body. A police K-9 was also sent in and confirmed that Perez was dead.
Perez's wife was stabbed multiples times and was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Sheriff's deputies said Perez died of an apparent suicide, but they will not say how Perez committed suicide or what events led up to the incident. But they report that the two have four children who were not home at the time.
One neighbor claimed he saw the two fighting at a nearby park earlier in the day.
"Somebody was arguing at the park and the cops came and we were jogging and that's when they came by and we left. That was about noon,” said Gabriel Ortiz.
Deputies were called around 12:15 p.m.
Another neighbor told CBS News 8 that he didn't hear any commotion until authorities showed up to his unit, which is located next door to Perez's unit.
