SWAT team, Sheriff's Office storm house, search for suspect

Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian A phalanx of police from various local agencies move in on a house on the 100 block of Varni Road in Corralitos Thursday where a man, who may have been armed, fled from police and disappeared inside a house.

CORRALITOS — Local law agencies had their hands full for a big chunk of the day Thursday after a man with a criminal track record fled from police and holed up in a house.

Though the incident, at 180 Varni Rd., got under way at 12:30 p.m. a swarm of police were still on the scene after 5 p.m. searching for Salvador Escalante, 45, said Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy April Skalland. “He does have a history of violence and there is a felony warrant for his arrest for carrying a concealed firearm.”

The trouble began when the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office approached Escalante and a woman in front of the brick home. Escalante immediately became confrontational with the deputy and then bolted on foot into the home despite the deputy’s verbal warning to halt.

Deputies spoke with the woman but she was not detained.

The woman said she was at the home to visit some friends who had been living there. The friends weren’t there, she said, but she did meet Escalante there and he asked her to take him to Watsonville to meet some other friends.

“That’s when the police showed and began talking about the house being red-tagged,” the woman, who chose not to give her name, said.

Santa Cruz County deputies were joined by members of the County Gang Task Force, the Sheriff’s primary response team, Watsonville police, two police dogs, the California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire firefighters and paramedics from American Medical Response.

By 4 p.m. the CHP closed down Varni Road at Amesti Road at Corralitos Road to make way for a sweeping raid on the home.

After making numerous announcements about entering the home and sending in the K9 over a public address system the team moved in.

With rifles, handguns, helmets, battering rams and protective shields at the ready they took up position, rapped on the door and hollered a few more warnings to come out.

“We will release our dog and he will bite you!” they yelled. Getting no response the police burst through the front door and slowly picked their way into the dark home. For close to an hour they combed through the spacious house and worked their way into the attic.

By 5:30 p.m. they had not located Escalante. Skalland said the house, which is surrounded by apple orchards, has been vacant and that Escalante should not have been on the property.



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