Bizarre Desert Standoff Leads To Temecula Man's Arrest

INDIO, CA — Felony and misdemeanor charges are expected to be filed Wednesday against a 47-year-old man suspected of vandalizing the Riverside County District Attorney's Office's Coachella Valley branch, then attempting to hide on the roof of a nearby building, where he was forcibly taken into custody.

Sean Allen Camba of Temecula was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Jail Monday on suspicion of felony vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest. Camba is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail.

His case was under review Tuesday by the District Attorney's Office.

According to the Indio Police Department, shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, the suspect allegedly caused damage to the D.A.'s building in the 82900 block of Highway 111, adjacent to the Larson Justice Center.

The extent of the vandalism was not specified, and a possible motive wasn't mentioned.

A witness observed the acts and followed Camba to another property less than a block away, where he allegedly perpetrated further vandalism before climbing onto the roof of the Sunline Transit Agency building near Highway 111 and Jackson Street in an apparent effort to hide, according to police Sgt. Abe Plata.

He said patrol officers arrived a short time later and requested assistance from the multi-agency Desert Regional SWAT team. In the meantime, Highway 111 was shut down between Golf Center Parkway and Salton Street for public safety.

Attempts to talk Camba down from the roof failed, and just before 2 p.m., SWAT members deployed flash bang grenades to divert his attention while other members clambered onto the roof, where they took him into custody without further incident.

Camba was not injured, nor were any law enforcement personnel.

Background information on the suspect also was not available.