Long Standoff Ends At Contra Costa Nordstrom Store, Suspect In Custody

PLEASANT HILL, CA — UPDATED: A suspect who eluded capture for hours after fleeing into a department store in Pleasant Hill on Tuesday evening was eventually found and taken into custody after he lowered himself down from the attic of the store late Wednesday morning, police said.

Pleasant Hill police learned shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday that Contra Costa County sheriff's deputies were involved in a pursuit of Joseph Ramos, a 26-year-old Concord resident wanted in a rape and domestic violence case, and that Ramos allegedly got out of his vehicle and fled into the Nordstrom Rack store at 703 Contra Costa Blvd, in the Sunvalley Shopping Center.

Authorities evacuated employees and customers from the store as well as the adjacent Safeway grocery store and thought Ramos was armed and dangerous and had barricaded himself in the attic of the store.

A SWAT team was called to the scene and authorities used drones, a police K-9, a robot and other methods to search the building but could not find Ramos, and cleared the scene Wednesday morning, saying he might have changed his clothing and exited the store prior to the SWAT team's arrival.

The store remained closed Wednesday and a Pleasant Hill police undercover detective stayed at the scene. Then at about 11:45 a.m., Ramos lowered himself down and fled through the back door of the business, but was tackled by store security guards and was taken into custody, police said.

"The Pleasant Hill Police Department recognizes and thanks the courageous Nordstrom Rack employees for their quick actions and assistance in taking this dangerous individual into custody," police said in a news release announcing the arrest.

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