Police arrest Paso Robles man after standoff on Vine Street
Photos courtesy of Paso Robles Incidents/Action (submitted by readers).
Police say the man broke windows, flooded the building, and started a fire
– A man was arrested after an hours-long standoff Tuesday that began when tenants reported vandalism, flooding, and a fire inside a multi-family residence in the 1400 block of Vine Street, according to a press release from the Paso Robles Police Department.
Downstairs tenants called 9-1-1 shortly after midnight on Dec. 9 to report that the upstairs tenant was breaking windows, yelling, and flooding the building. Officers attempted to contact the tenant, later identified as 55-year-old Michael Mogge of Paso Robles.
Officers and a crisis negotiator tried repeatedly to communicate with Mogge, but he refused. Police say he threw items from upstairs windows, broke additional windows, and started a small fire on an upstairs balcony that burned out on its own.
Officers secured the area and maintained watch until about 9:30 a.m., when Mogge again began throwing items from his window. He refused to speak with police, family members, or mental health specialists, and continued vandalizing the unit.
Detectives obtained an arrest and search warrant for Mogge. Chemical agents and diversionary devices were used to try to get him to surrender, but he continued to refuse. With assistance from the Paso Robles Fire Department, officers entered the residence via an upstairs balcony around 1 p.m. Mogge reportedly fled by jumping from the roof and injured himself. He was taken into custody pursuant to the arrest warrant.
Mogge was treated at a local hospital and later booked at the San Luis Obispo County Jail on felony vandalism (PC 594(b)(1)), arson (PC 451), and resisting a police officer with violence (PC 69).
