KING CITY — A 28-year-old King City man is facing misdemeanor charges after police say he falsely reported a hostage situation involving multiple armed subjects at a local residence.
According to King City police, at about 7:39 a.m. on Feb. 24, Monterey County Communications received a 9-1-1 call reporting that four to six subjects armed with rifles had entered a residence at 101 River Drive in King City. The caller said the subjects were holding the residents of Unit No. 21 hostage and that a grey or silver Honda Accord was also involved.
“Police personnel from the King City Police Department immediately responded to the reported emergency, requesting mutual aid assistance from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol,” police said in a news release Feb. 27.
As police arrived on scene, a silver Honda Accord was seen leaving the area. A high-risk enforcement stop was conducted on the Honda in the parking lot at the corner of Canal and Broadway streets “due to the nature of the reported emergency,” police said. The car’s two occupants were contacted at gunpoint and detained.
At roughly the same time, officers contacted the residents of Unit No. 21 and determined the reported emergency was a hoax. The Honda’s occupants were then released.
“Upon determining the reported emergency was a hoax and misuse of the 9-1-1 emergency telephone system, an investigation was initiated to determine who made the 9-1-1 telephone call reporting the false emergency,” police said.
An investigation identified the suspect as King City resident Irvin Rodriguez, who subsequently admitted his involvement in the crime. According to police, the 28-year-old called 9-1-1 because “cars were driving in his neighborhood and he believed if he said people with guns were involved, the police would come faster.”
King City Police Department has requested that Rodriguez be charged with false reporting of an emergency and misuse of the 9-1-1 emergency line, both misdemeanor charges that could result in fines and jail time.
