By Khalida Sarwari
Police have identified an armed robbery suspect who barricaded himself in the bathroom of a Monterey cafe for nearly three hours today as Brett Edward Vossler.
Vossler, 30, of Seaside, was arrested at about 1:15 p.m. with the help of a SWAT team at the Old Monterey Cafe at 489 Alvarado St., where he barricaded himself in a bathroom for about three hours, city spokeswoman Anne McGrath said.
Officers responded to a report of an armed robbery around 10:15 a.m. at the Ordway Drugs store at 499 Alvarado St. There, they chased Vossler, who ran inside the cafe.
No one was harmed, but there was some speculation that Vossler might have tried to hurt himself in the bathroom, McGrath said.
He is being treated at a hospital for an undisclosed medical condition, Monterey police Lt. Leslie Sonne said.
Officers also recovered a knife that Vossler allegedly used in the robbery at the Ordway Drugs store.
The restaurant, which police evacuated while trying to convince Vossler to surrender, has been reopened.
A half-block section of Alvarado Street closed earlier has also been reopened.
