By Khalida Sarwari
A 36-year-old Modesto man was arrested in Sunnyvale early this morning after allegedly holding a San Jose woman hostage in a Motel 6 room for more than four hours, police said.
At about 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety patrol officers were in the area of the Motel 6 at 775 North Mathilda Ave. when one officer spotted a man he believed was wanted on outstanding warrants, police Capt. Doug Moretto said.
The officer attempted to talk to the man, who quickly retreated to a room on the third floor of the motel.
Officers ran a background check on a person who matched the man’s description and confirmed they were the same person. They identified the suspect as Alfonso Windham, who was wanted for sexual assault and parole violation, Moretto said.
During their investigation, officers received several 911 calls from hotel guests reporting a disturbance and a water leak from the third floor. Windham also called 911 to say he was in a motel room with a woman and that he was armed with a knife and was not going to come out, Moretto said.
A SWAT team was deployed, and hostage negotiators helped maintain communication with Windham via cell phone and a landline.
Motel guests told police that during the negotiation process, Windham attempted to escape by kicking a hole in the wall into an adjacent room, Moretto said. In doing so, Windham hit a water pipe, causing water to leak onto the floor below.
At about 12:20 a.m., Windham surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody, Moretto said. The woman he had allegedly been holding hostage was not injured.
Police have not established if there was a relationship between Windham and the victim.
He was booked into Santa Clara County main jail on false imprisonment and vandalism charges, in addition to the parole violation and sexual assault charges.
Officers from the Mountain View and Santa Clara police departments assisted.