Vallejo neighborhood rattled by SWAT raid

VALLEJO — Residents of Vallejo’s quiet Glen Cove neighborhood were startled on Wednesday afternoon to hear what sounded like gunfire and explosions, when a Vallejo police SWAT team surrounded a building at the Seabridge apartment complex.

Police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis would not comment on whether an arrest was made, but neighbors reported on social media that when police finally entered the apartment they found nobody home. Holllis said that the operation involved an ongoing investigation into an isolated incident.

Todd Williams lives at the intersection of North Regatta Drive and Flying Dutchman Court , directly across the street from the Seabridge apartment complex at 1 Spyglass Parkway. He said he called 911 at around 5:30 p.m. when he noticed police activity in the neighborhood, to see if it was safe for his wife to come home. 

Williams said the dispatch operator told him “You’re way away from that. This is at Spyglass Drive. It’s a police operation we're aware of. It's safe to go outside.”

Williams said he expected that if there was serious police activity in the area, the surrounding streets would be blocked and that nearby residents would be told to stay inside.

But he said there was no police tape, and nothing to block cars from driving in or out of the apartment complex. He walked over to the parking lot to ask officers what was going on, but when he arrived he said he heard about 10 gunshots, which made him so scared he dropped to the ground.

Hollis said that he couldn’t confirm what was done in this particular situation, but he said there was no gunfire, and what Williams heard was likely beanbag rounds. He said it is common for police to break windows using beanbag rounds to make a hole large enough to send smoke grenades or a drone into a building.

The loud explosions that Williams heard were most likely “flash bangs,” or stun grenades, that emit a bright light and a loud noise. Police SWAT teams often use them to stun and disorient suspects before entering a building.

Hollis said police don’t give neighbors a heads up when they use flash bangs, but it “isn’t a quiet operation, and it’s no secret that we’re there.”

Williams said he heard police on a loudspeaker saying “come out with your hands up.” He decided to leave the area. As he was driving away he stopped to talk to a group of about 20 officers who were parked a block away with an ambulance and a fire truck.

“What the world is going on here?” he asked. He said he was told that it was “just a police operation.” When Williams asked about the gunfire and explosions he was told they were “not from us.”

“The explosions were so loud I thought a meth lab went off or something,” Williams said.  He said he was upset because he didn’t know if he had been fired on or if police were shooting into the building.

“I called the mayor [on his cell phone] and asked him “what the hell's going on here? What can you find out?” Williams said that Mayor Robert McConnell called him back after talking to the city manager and told him the police were trying to make an arrest. 

“I don't think that it's fair that when I asked them that they give me a song and dance like what they did,” Williams said. “I've lived there for 15 years and I've never had anything like this ever happen.”

Scott Morris contributed to this report.