Carjacking suspect arrested after all-day standoff

A 22-year-old Huntington Beach man will appear in court Monday to answer several allegations related to a carjacking that led to the man barricading himself in a home and holding police at bay for nearly 10 hours, police said.

Zachary J. Matthews was booked on suspicion of carjacking, attempted robbery and violating parole after a SWAT team arrested him at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Lt. Terry Lindsey said.

Matthews was accused of a carjacking in Westminster. Westminster police started chasing him after seeing him steal a Chevy S-10 pick-up truck at about 12:30 p.m., Huntington Beach Lt. Craig Junginger said. They eventually lost him and sent out a broadcast for back-up via a countywide network.

Other officers picked up the trail again and then lost him again, Junginger said. Finally, Westminster officers caught up to Matthews again, but he had abandoned the car and they started running after him, Junginger said. He apparently ditched the car after crashing into a sound wall on Bolsa Park Lane, Junginger added.

The foot-chase led through a flood channel in Huntington Beach and through a neighborhood until Matthews forced his way into a rental home on the 6000 block of Cornell Drive, holding a gun to his head, Junginger said.

Huntington Beach police stood guard in front of the house throughout the day and attempted to negotiate a surrender. Several hours later, police began tear-gassing the home, but Matthews would not come out, authorities said.

Finally, SWAT officers stormed the house at about 8:15 p.m. but could not find him until he was spotted hiding in the attic at about 10:30 p.m., Lindsey said.