Police take man into custody following roof standoff in Avondale

AVONDALE, Ariz. (KSAZ) - A man is in custody following a standoff atop the roof of an Avondale home Tuesday morning. Phoenix police say officers negotiated with the man who climbed on the roof of a home near 112th Avenue and McDowell Road.

The big commotion in this quiet neighborhood had everyone rattled, except for the homeowner, who slept through it for about 90 minutes.

"That's a long time with somebody on your roof, with him walking around, you never know, he could have kicked in a window,"  said James Valadez, who lives across the street.

Valadez says he too didn't realize what was happening on the roof.

"Heard the helicopter, that's what woke my daughter up. She was crying, woke me up. Come to look outside, saw the guy on the roof and all the cops were around the house. Pretty crazy," he said.

Police say they were pursuing the man and two accomplices wanted for several armed robberies in the area overnight. Officers spent two hours negotiating with him as he showed signs of drug impairment. The circumstances stunned residents who say this is far from the norm.

"Very surprising, because that is very unusual activity for this type of neighborhood," said Jose Esquivel. "It's always quiet, peaceful over here."

With several very young children in the homes nearby, the whole thing made for a nerve-wracking morning.

There's kids next door, kids right down the street, kids right here next door. This block is full of kids," said Valadez. "Most of the families here have kids. So you see the kids playing around too, so kind of a typical quiet neighborhood."

The man eventually climbed down from the roof and surrendered to police. His name has not been released.

VIDEO from the scene: facebook.com/FOX10Phoenix/videos/1630008627047678