Tactical team responds as Storm Lake police arrest two in gun disturbance

A gun disturbance on Storm Lake’s east side ended with two arrests, assault charges and a tactical-team response that drew in crisis negotiators and forced nearby residents to evacuate or shelter in place. Police said Leodan Rojas, 20, and Emily Gonzalez-Vazquez, 22, were taken into custody after a morning confrontation at 605 E. 12th St. escalated into a broader public-safety operation.

Police said they first received a delayed report at about 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 12, about an earlier incident that had begun around 10 a.m. at the residence. Investigators allege Rojas assaulted a female victim and broke her phone. About 40 minutes later, police say Gonzalez-Vazquez returned to the residence, confronted Rojas, struck him in the face and pointed a handgun at him.

Both suspects were taken into custody without incident. Police said Gonzalez-Vazquez later told investigators she discarded the firearm at 801 Harmony Court, where officers obtained a search warrant and, at about 6:30 p.m., the Storm Lake Police Tactical Team executed it and seized the alleged gun. Rojas was charged with assault causing bodily injury and criminal mischief in the fourth degree. Gonzalez-Vazquez was charged with assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Both were booked into Buena Vista County Jail on $2,000 bonds.

The evening response at Kading Properties on East Milwaukee showed how quickly a gun allegation can turn a neighborhood call into a high-risk operation. Residents in the area were told to evacuate or shelter in place while officers worked the scene, a level of response that fits a department with specialized units including a Tactical Entry Team, Hostage Negotiation Team and drone program.

Storm Lake police reported more than 48,000 calls for service in 2025, with nearly a 12% drop in Part 1 Uniform Crime from the prior year. The department said it remained fully staffed except for one officer deployed with the military, but the force still had to rely on its high-risk team that evening, underscoring the seriousness officers attached to a disturbance involving a gun.

The location also carried added weight. Kading Properties has added license-plate-recognition cameras around Sunrise Pointe near Lilly Court and Harmony Court after violent crime concerns in the area, including a violent riot reported there in July 2024. That history made the June 12 arrest and tactical response part of a larger public-safety issue on Storm Lake’s east side, where police and residents have repeatedly faced the risk that one domestic dispute can spill outward in minutes.