Six-hour standoff leads to arrests
Robbery suspects
LANCASTER, Calif.—Two armed robbery suspects were arrested after a six-hour standoff with authorities in Lancaster, sheriff’s officials said.
The barricade began around 2 p.m. after sheriff’s deputies attempted to serve an arrest warrant at a home in the 300 block of West Kettering Street near Antelope Valley High School, said Deputy Pete Gomez of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Michael Volger, was believed to be armed with other people inside the home.
Volger and 25-year-old Jacquilyn Crabtree were wanted as suspects in an Oct. 22 armed robbery at the Oxford Inn and Suites Hotel, 1615 W. Avenue K., Gomez said. The victim was robbed at gunpoint for his money, and he told authorities the three suspects were a White male adult and two female adults.
Gomez said deputies saw Volger exit the home on Ketterin and when he noticed sheriff’s deputies outside he ran back inside, barricading himself.
“After numerous commands given to the suspects to exit the residence were ignored, the Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau introduced gas,” Gomez said in a statement.
Volger and Crabtree were taken into custody without further incident around 8:20 p.m., Gomez said.
A second female who exited the home was also detained but was later released after confirming she was not involved in the robbery, Gomez said.
An investigation was ongoing and one female suspect remained outstanding.
Lancaster is inviting the public to the Prime Desert Woodlands after dark to experience a magical evening of nature and astronomy. On Saturday at 8 p.m., participants will join Jeremy Amarant, director of the SAGE Planetarium, for an enlightening Moon Walk, to learn about the stars and constellations.
The event is open to the public. A $2 donation is welcome. For more information, please call (661) 816-4466.
LANCASTER, Calif.—A man and a woman suspected in three recent armed robberies in Lancaster have been arrested by detectives who used a facial recognition software program during their investigation, authorities said today.
“It is a relatively new program that uses advancing technology to compare clear facial photos to booking photos already in the database,” Sgt. Randy Harris of the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station said. “It is available only to law enforcement.”
LANCASTER, Calif.—Antelope Valley High School underwent major changes in 2011, including the reassignment of 50 percent of its teachers. The school earlier had been declared a Tier II school, which includes the tag of being designated as low-achieving based on testing or graduation rates.
LANCASTER, Calif.—Sheriff's deputies confirmed that firefighters found the body of a woman inside a two-story home in the Quartz Hill section of Lancaster after a fire brought under control.
The fire was reported at 5:15 p.m. Sunday in the 42000 block of 56th Street West, Supervisor Michael Pittman of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
The blaze was under control by 5:26 p.m.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, said the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
LANCASTER, Calif.—A Lancaster man was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation this morning after walking away from his home with a shotgun and leaving his family a suicide note, authorities said.
The 64-year-old man left a home in the 43200 block of Sunny Lane at about 3:15 p.m. Sunday afternoon, said Lt. Richard Daniels of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Lancaster Station.
