Apartment invasion ends with suspects’ surrender

By William D'Urso

Published Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 | 12:39 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012 | 5:54 p.m.

What began as an apartment invasion late this morning in the eastern valley ended peacefully this afternoon with the surrender of two suspects, Metro Police said.

A 38-year-old female resident alerted police at 11:28 a.m. that two men — one of them armed with an automatic weapon — had forced their way into her apartment in the Royal Manor Apartments, 5600 Boulder Highway, near East Tropicana Avenue.

The woman was able to hide and escape from the apartment through a window after her initial call to police. When police arrived, the men had barricaded themselves in the apartment, and a Metro SWAT unit and negotiators were called to help diffuse the situation.

The negotiators, ultimately, were successful in getting the suspects to surrender without further incident around 2:30 p.m. Police arrested James Kalama, 30, and charged him with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. The other suspect was released, police said.

Metro spokesman Officer Marcus Martin said the victim was "familiar" with the suspects but did not describe their relationship. He added that Metro was continuing its investigation.

Sun reporter Brian Nordli contributed reporting to this story.