A 47-year-old man living in a National City group home is accused of setting his own room on fire while barricaded inside, then firing a pellet gun at police officers who responded to the blaze. The man surrendered after a roughly two-hour standoff and was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation before he is expected to be booked into jail, according to the National City Police Department.
Welfare Check Turns Into Barricaded Standoff
Officers were sent to the group home on East Second Street around 11:30 AM yesterday for a welfare check, according to FOX 5 San Diego. Once there, police say the man barricaded himself inside his apartment, set the room on fire, and fired a pellet gun at the responding officers. He also made suicidal statements and threats toward the officers on scene, the outlet reports.
The fire tore through the man's apartment, leaving it with severe damage, while seven other units in the building sustained smoke damage, per the same report. The man ultimately surrendered after about two hours and was taken into custody. He was transported to a local hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and will be booked into jail once he is medically cleared.
Arson, Attempted Murder Among Potential Charges
Police say the man faces potential charges of arson, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. According to the National City Police Department's account relayed by the station, the attempted murder charge stems from the fact that the group home was occupied by other residents at the time of the fire. Investigators also say he had an outstanding felony warrant for weapons violations.
Under California law, arson of an inhabited structure is a felony that can carry three, five, or eight years in state prison, according to LA Criminal Defenders. Prosecutors do not need to show a building was destroyed to meet that legal threshold — even charring of a structure's framework can satisfy the statute, per DCD Law. Assault with a deadly weapon or projectile against a peace officer carries a straight felony sentence of three, four, or five years under California Penal Code § 245(c), according to Cron, Israels & Stark, a charge that — unlike some assault cases — cannot be reduced to a misdemeanor.
Attempted Murder Exposure and Arson Registration
Attempted murder charges in California can bring five, seven, or nine years, or even life in prison with the possibility of parole, if prosecutors prove the act was willful, deliberate, and premeditated or directed at public safety personnel, according to FindLaw. A felony arson conviction can also carry lasting consequences beyond prison time — those convicted must register as arsonists with local police for as long as they live in California, per Greg Hill & Associates.
Group homes like the one on East Second Street are licensed and overseen by the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division, which requires certified administrators and approved emergency disaster plans under Title 22 regulations. National City Police, which operates with 87 full-time sworn officers serving a city of roughly 58,000 residents, has handled other tense standoffs in the community, including a February 2025 barricaded-suspect situation tied to a detention facility investigation that Hoodline covered at the time, which also ended with the suspect arrested and taken for hospital treatment.
Part of a Regional Pattern of Barricade Standoffs
The National City fire follows a similar incident earlier this month in Vista, where San Diego County Sheriff's SWAT negotiators resolved an hour-long standoff at a senior housing complex after a 64-year-old resident barricaded himself inside his apartment and allegedly fired a BB gun at a neighbor, as Hoodline reported. That standoff also ended with the resident surrendering and being taken for medical evaluation. Together, the two cases point to ongoing public safety challenges tied to barricaded residents inside supportive and residential care facilities across San Diego County.
