Police: King City man facing charges for falsely reporting hostage situation

KING CITY, Calif. (KION) A King City man is facing charges relating to falsely reporting an emergency and misuse of the 911 system after police said he reported a hostage situation.

On Monday at around 7:40 a.m., dispatchers got a call from someone reporting that four to six people armed with rifles went into a home on the 100 block of River Drive and were holding the residents hostage. The caller also said a gray or silver-colored Honda Accord was involved.

King City police responded to the call with help from the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and the CHP. When law enforcement got there, they established a perimeter and saw a silver Honda Accord leaving the area.

Officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop because of the nature of the report in a parking lot on the corner of Canal Street and Broadway Street. Two people in the car were contacted at gunpoint and detained.

At the same time, police contacted the residents of the home and said they found out that it was a false report. The people in the Honda were then released.

Police identified 28-year-old Irvin Rodriguez as the person suspected of making the call. After contacting him, police said Rodriguez admitted to making the call and said he did it because cars were driving in his neighborhood and he thought the police would come faster if people with guns were involved.

Police submitted their investigation to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office and requested that Rodriguez be charged with falsely reporting an emergency and misuse of the 911 emergency phone system.

Anyone with information is asked to contact King City police at 831-386-5980 or Sergeant John Dow at 831-386-5969.