Suicidal Standoff
updated: Nov 07, 2012, 4:07 PM

Source: San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office

An Oxnard man holding two knifes to his throat for hours was taken into custody by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Special Enforcement Team ( S.E.T.). The incident lasted nearly four hours as deputies negotiated with the subject in attempts to have him put down the knives.

Shortly after 9:00am on Wednesday, November 07, 2012, deputies responded to South Jameson Road near San Ysidro Road, for a man seen holding a knife to his throat. When deputies arrived they found 43 year old Paul Robinette, standing near a parked car holding two knives to his throat. Deputies with the Sheriff's Office quickly secured the area as Officers from the California Highway Patrol closed off surrounding streets and the San Ysidro freeway off-ramp. A reverse 911 call was placed by Sheriff's dispatch to area residents, advising them to stay in their homes.

After repeated attempts to communicate with Robinette failed, the Hostage Negotiation Team (H.N.T) along with the S.E.T. arrived and took over the incident. Robinette stood behind a parked car with an open trunk and an open passenger side door. Deputies initially believed Robinette had a gun in the open trunk and did not want to provoke him into using it.

The Sheriff's Bomb Team robot was used to approach Robinette with food and water. Robinette did not take the food and continued to pace back and forth with the knives held tightly to his throat. The standoff finally ended when S.E.T deployed distraction devices (flash-bangs) and hit Robinette with several less lethal foam rounds, causing him to drop the knives. S.E.T. quickly moved in and safely took Robinette into custody before he could hurt himself. Robinette was transported to the hospital by A.M.R. Paramedics where he will be medically and psychologically evaluated.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 340318	2012-11-07 04:31 PM
Very, very sad. The man is clearly distraught and disturbed. I hope he gets help.
COMMENT 340339	2012-11-07 05:02 PM
Looking at the after pictures and the massive facial bruising, they must have tagged him several times in the head with those less lethal rounds. Good shootin!
COMMENT 340340	2012-11-07 05:06 PM
you have this story credited to the San Luis Obispo Sheriffs office...for real?
COMMENT 340367	2012-11-07 06:14 PM
I think that's dirt and soot on his face, not bruising.
COMMENT 340418P	2012-11-07 08:47 PM
Urban Hikers reported authorities hit the guy in his gluteus maximus with bean bags. Youch.
COMMENT 340419P	2012-11-07 08:47 PM
And it is dirt on his face, from when he executed a face plant.
COMMENT 340547	2012-11-08 09:50 AM
I hope he gets the help he needs. Poor man. Depression and or mental illness is a tough thing to handle.
COMMENT 340596	2012-11-08 12:03 PM
I don't understand how an individual (sick though he may be) can bring a city to a standstill for hours. Think the possible suicide at the La Cumbre/101 overpass several years ago, etc. as examples. With the flash-bangs and non-lethal projectiles available, these incidents should be brought humanely under control in a very short time. What am I missing here?
COMMENT 340601	2012-11-08 12:16 PM
What you are missing is that the city did not come to a standstill.
COMMENT 340680	2012-11-08 02:25 PM
601 - Understood. But incidents like this HAVE brought large portions of traffic corridors, neighborhoods, etc. to a standstill just like this one closed roads for some hours when it seemed like solutions were available that did not involve one person forcing thousands to alter their daily behaviors.

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