[UPDATE 10:57 a.m.] Felony Stop Near Bayside Cutoff Linked to SWAT Operation in Arcata

Several law enforcement vehicles with a suspect vehicle on the side of U.S. Highway 101 south of Arcata during a felony stop this morning. Officers in tactical gear detained at least one individual at gunpoint. [Photo by a passing motorist]

A felony stop on Highway 101 just north of Eureka this morning is connected to a SWAT operation underway on H Street in Arcata, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Our reporter, Ryan Hutson, is live at the scene in Arcata.

This is what we know so far. Around 9:30 a.m., several law enforcement vehicles surrounded a car near the Bayside Cutoff on southbound 101. Witnesses reported officers in full tactical gear, some carrying rifles, ordering a female occupant out of the vehicle at gunpoint. One passing driver described the scene as involving “full body armor” and said a woman was held “at gunpoint with assault rifles.”

Shortly afterward, a large SWAT presence was seen outside a home in the 100 block of H Street in Arcata. Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jesse Taylor confirmed the two incidents are related, explaining that deputies were serving a search warrant at the residence as part of the same operation.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s vehicle with one detained in the rear near an apartment building on H Street in Arcata. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]

“The scene has been made safe and there is no public safety concern at this time,” Taylor said. “We will be on scene for most of the morning and will issue more details when appropriate.”

Deputies and tactical units remained active at the Arcata location as of this writing.

We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

UPDATE 10:57 a.m.:

Live video by Ryan Hutson on H Street in Arcata:

https://www.facebook.com/RedheadedBlackbelt/videos/596863613471060

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HCSO with the vehicle containing a detained person. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]