Police: Hotel guest in downtown SLO standoff refused to leave, threatened workers
San Luis Obispo police blocked off two downtown streets Tuesday morning after a hotel guest barricaded inside Hotel Cerro.
The person was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon.
Police: Hotel guest involved in standoff refused to leave, threatened workers
Update, 5:30 p.m.: The San Luis Obispo Police Department released more details on the lengthy standoff that blocked a portion of downtown much of Tuesday.
In a news release Tuesday evening, the police department said at about 9 a.m. it received a report from staff at Hotel Cerro that a woman — identified as Patricia Castaneda, 40, of Grover Beach — had stayed the previous night and was refusing to leave.
“Castaneda made threats of physical harm to the hotel staff with a knife or gun, and patrol officers responded to assist,” the department said.
When officers arrived, the woman had barricaded herself in the room, the release said. The SLOPD Community Action Team responded to assist, but the woman remained “barricaded and uncooperative,” the agency said.
As a precaution, all hotel rooms on that floor were evacuated and a perimeter was set up.
The San Luis Obispo Regional SWAT team and Crisis Negotiation Team were activated and responded to the scene, the release said.
At about 3 p.m., the Crisis Negotiation Team was able to talk Casteneda into exiting the room and she was taken into custody without incident, the release said.
No knives or guns were found following the incident, police said.
Castaneda was arrested and transported to the San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of a felony charge of making criminal threats, with her bail set at $50,000.
“Thank you to the staff of Hotel Cerro for the help and cooperation during this difficult incident,” the release said.
Barricaded person safely taken into custody, SLO police chief says
Update, 3:25 p.m.:
The barricaded person has been safely taken into custody after a nearly five-hour-long standoff downtown, according to San Luis Obispo Police Chief Rick Scott.
“No one was injured and no property damage,” Scott told The Tribune on Tuesday afternoon. “So that’s good.”
According to Scott, San Luis Obispo Police Department officers initially responded to an incident with a female hotel guest Tuesday morning, then once the situation was stabilized, outside resources were called in.
That included the county’s regional SWAT team which helped to “negotiate with the suspect, make contact and then eventually get her to cooperate with us to surrender,” Scott said.
Scott said the woman — whose name and age were not released — is expected to face charges, though he did not specify what those were.
Scott additionally said police had still not confirmed if there was a weapon present and that a search was still ongoing.
“We want the community to know that we really appreciate all the patience while we worked to resolve this situation peacefully,” he said. “Today we employed a wide range of tactics to include negotiations and de-escalation which was critical to resolving the situation peacefully.”
Downtown SLO street fully blocked off amid barricaded person response
Update, 2:45 p.m.:
Police activity was continuing in the area of Garden and Marsh streets into Tuesday afternoon.
In a San Luis Obispo Police Department update posted on X at 2:17 p.m., people were told to continue avoiding the area “until the situation is resolved.”
Update, 1:45 p.m.:
As of 1:40 p.m., Garden Street was fully closed to the public as law enforcement continued to respond to the barricaded person incident.
The street had previously been closed to vehicles but was allowing pedestrians to pass.
SWAT called to SLO hotel for unconfirmed report of weapon
Update, 12:45 p.m.:
According to deputy chief Aaron Schaefer, the situation has been contained to one hotel room.
Schaefer additionally said SWAT was called in because there were initial reports of a weapon — potentially a knife — though those are still unconfirmed.
Schaefer continued to reinforce that there was no threat to the public or guests.
As of 12:45 p.m., SWAT could be seen entering the building.
SLO County law enforcement responds to barricaded person in downtown hotel room
Original story:
A San Luis Obispo Police Department post on X at 11 a.m. reported police activity in the 1100 block of Garden Street and surrounding roads.
“There is no threat to the public, however please avoid the area at this time,” the agency said. “More information will be provided when it becomes available.”
Nevertheless, more resources from around the county also began pouring in Tuesday afternoon, including a regional SWAT team and the Grover Beach Police Department.
According to a Police Department watch commander, a person was barricaded inside a hotel room and was not cooperating. Surrounding rooms were evacuated, he said.
Police Chief Rick Scott told The Tribune that everything was contained and there was no safety risk to the public or other hotel guests.
“We just need some time to get everything handled safely,” he said.
Scott additionally said it was unclear if the person was armed or had access to a weapon, but so far no weapon has been recovered.
As of 11:39 a.m., police had closed off the 900 block of Marsh Street and continued to advise people to avoid the area. Garden Street from Higuera to Marsh streets was also closed to car traffic.
Police could be seen flying a drone over the area as of 11:40 a.m.
Battalion Chief Armando Gutierrez said the San Luis Obispo Fire Department was also at the scene in the event of any medical needs during the incident.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 12:16 PM.
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