Rape suspect arrested after trying to escape Pleasant Hill Nordstrom Rack once long standoff ended

Thursday, September 29, 2022
PLEASANT HILL, Calif. (KGO) -- The rape and domestic violence suspect at the center of an hours-long standoff inside a pleasant hill Nordstrom Rack Tuesday into Wednesday is now in jail.

Authorities say Joseph Alan Ramos ran inside the store Tuesday night after leading police on a chase in what they say was a stolen vehicle. The standoff lasted through Wednesday morning, as police were searching the rafters, but could not find him and called it off around 7:30 a.m.
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Police were convinced Ramos changed clothes and sneaked out with customers, but hours later they spotted him lowering himself down from the ceiling.

That's when he was arrested around 11:40 a.m. Wednesday.

VIDEO: 9-hour SWAT standoff continuing at Pleasant Hill Nordstrom Rack after suspect ran into store Tuesday
9-hour SWAT standoff continuing at Pleasant Hill Nordstrom Rack after suspect ran into store Tuesday


"If we don't catch him today, we will get him another day," a Pleasant Hill PD spokesperson told ABC 7 News just hours before Ramos climbed down and tried to escape.



During the standoff, there was a very large law enforcement presence on scene throughout Wednesday morning, as officers were coming and going from the entrance of the store with the doors open.
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RELATED: Suspect in custody after 2-hour standoff in Pleasanton, police say

They even used a cherry picker to get up to the rafters, and sent a drone into the store.

A Nordstrom Rack spokesperson told ABC7 News that the store was fully evacuated during the incident and that no employees or customers were harmed.

If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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