Ramona welfare check leads to SWAT standoff
Dante Ulanday - News Moderator 
A request for a welfare check in Ramona led to a SWAT standoff on Wednesday afternoon.
A caller asked for the check on a person’s well-being in the 1500 block of Royal Vista Drive shortly before 9:30 a.m., the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said.
After deputies were unable to make contact with a possible suspect at the address, crisis negotiators and special weapons and tactics personnel were called in.
Nearby Hanson Elementary School was evacuated “out of an abundance of caution,” according to an online statement from the sheriff’s department. Pupils and staffers were transported to Ramona Community Montessori School on Ramona Street, the agency said.
The standoff was ongoing as of shortly before 5:30 p.m., sheriff’s Lt. Sean Gallagher said.
The lieutenant said he was unsure if deputies had confirmed that the man they believed was holed up on the rural property actually was there, or thought to be hiding inside a home or possibly some other type of structure.
Updated 6:30 p.m. Sept. 3, 2025
