Man arrested after standoff on peninsula
U.S. Marshals and local police arrested a man Wednesday evening who had barricaded himself inside a Balboa Peninsula home.
Around 1 p.m. marshals were trying to serve an arrest warrant out of Westchester County, N.Y., to Geoffrey Earl Patton, but he refused to come out of a residence in the 100 block of 25th Street.
By 3 p.m., Newport Beach and Irvine SWAT teams, and a crisis negotiation team responded to the scene. Patton was taken into custody without incident around 6:15 p.m., officials said.
During the incident, Balboa and Newport boulevards were blocked off between 22nd and 29th streets.
Police initially weren’t sure if Patton, 36, was armed, but they noted that he did have guns legally registered in his name, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Laura Vega.
Patton is charged with felony larceny in New York, where officials said he took money from homeowners. He allegedly promised to modify their home loans but never performed the work, according to Vega.
A warrant was issued for his arrest Monday.
Though Patton is accused of a white-collar crime in New York, authorities said he has a more checkered and violent past in California.
He has previous arrests for resisting a police officer, battery and violating weapons laws. He has multiple convictions for lying to police, grand theft and driving under the influence. Records show he has registered financial businesses in Los Alamitos and Newport Beach, and previously lived in two different locations in Newport.
Vega said though it’s a state-issued warrant, the marshals’ typically assist in the catching of fugitives.
Twitter: @JosephSerna