UPDATED: Seaside resident Joe Cubbage surrenders after hours-long standoff with police on suspicion of making death threats.

An hours-long standoff between Seaside police officers and resident Joe Cubbage ended with a peaceful surrender as a SWAT team prepared to enter Cubbage's Seaside home on Monday evening, Feb. 24. 

Seaside police officers were investigating allegations that Cubbage threatened to kill U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, his representative in Congress; former Carmel mayor Steve Dallas; and his ex-wife, with whom Cubbage lives.

Shortly before dusk, police had two drones up above Cubbage's Vallejo Street home and spotlights on the entrance.

Through speakers that could be heard from blocks away, they announced: “Joe Cubbage, this is the Seaside Police Department. Come out with your hands up, your house is surrounded.”

Cubbage did not come out for hours, even as neighbors gathered around the block to watch and express concern. After dark at about 6:55pm, police taped off a portion of the street to make room for the incoming Monterey Peninsula Special Response Unit. Officers in tactical gear began approaching the home at about 7:10pm.

Just before 7:30pm, the team moved forward to enter the home. Cubbage exited and quickly surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody. Within 10 minutes, the police packed up and left and reopened the otherwise quiet, one-way, residential street and church music could again be heard from St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. 

The arrest stems from earlier in the day, when Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges says Cubbage cornered his ex-wife in their home, demanding she produce information about some kind of alleged conspiratorial connections between Panetta and Dallas by the end of the day and if she didn't, he would kill all of three of them. 

Seaside Police made contact with Cubbage and Borges says they communicated throughout the day, and that Cubbage offered to meet with police the following day, Feb. 25. Borges says Cubbage's phone then went silent for hours and he stopped responding. 

Police surveilled his home and determined he was there, but he refused to leave. Eventually, he began to communicate with crisis negotiators and exited the home as the tactical SWAT team assembled outside.

Cubbage was not armed. 

"We are grateful nobody was injured during this incident," Seaside PD said in a statement issued immediately after the arrest.

The 55-year-old is being held on enhanced bail of $1 million at Monterey County Jail. (He has not yet been charged in Monterey County Superior Court; information about his legal representation was not immediately available.)

Cubbage has long been outspoken on matters of government, from the hyper-local to the international. He routinely attends local government meetings and speaks up during public comment periods on a range of issues, often addressing officials directly and critically. He is also active on social media, although his Facebook page appears to be disabled as of Feb. 24, the day of his alleged death threats.

But Borges and others who interact regularly with Cubbage say his behavior has grown increasingly hostile recently.

After reportedly disruptive behavior during a meeting of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting in February, sheriff's deputies were called for additional backup security support. Borges has asked him to leave Seaside City Council meetings. 

Panetta's district office remains open to the public, and a spokesperson says staff are using increased vigilance in light of Monday's threats. 

"I am thankful for Seaside Police Department and law enforcement for their responsiveness to this unfortunate situation," Panetta said in a statement.

"Too many people in our community are angry, fearful, and anxious for the future and see politics and public servants as outlets for their frustrations and fears. Each of us has a responsibility to lower the temperature of public debate, see even those we disagree with as worthy of empathy, and work together to find a way forward as a community and country. I will continue to lead by example.”