GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — A Glendale home is left in shambles following a nearly three-hour barricade situation that turned deadly Wednesday. Now, questions remain about who will pay for the damage.
Insurance experts say no policy exists that would cover the cost.
“If police demolish a home during a suspect standoff in Arizona, standard homeowners’ insurance will almost always deny the claim,” said Brent Bartz with Integra Insurance.
What happened
Police say 59-year-old Jeffrey Peters violated an order of protection placed by his daughter, who shared the house near 75th and Glendale avenues with him. When officers arrived, Peters began firing at them and did not stop. The standoff lasted more than three hours before Peters died.
Glendale SWAT deployed heavy equipment to ram into the front and back of the home in an effort to contain Peters. The Avondale Police Department has since taken over the investigation. Investigators say custody of the home and its structure will be turned over to the City of Glendale.
The insurance problem
Bartz said that even in cases where the homeowner is the suspect, coverage is denied.
“If the homeowner is the suspect who provoked the standoff, coverage is denied due to the intentional criminal act,” Bartz said.
He added there are no loopholes and that police have full immunity in these situations.
“A necessary act of public safety, so I don’t know if there’s a back way to go after the city to pay for it,” Bartz said.
The denial extends beyond cases where the homeowner is at fault. Bartz said that if the homeowner is innocent or the property is a rental, insurance would still deny a damage claim because the destruction was the result of government action.
“To my knowledge there is no type of policy that you can purchase outside of homeowners insurance that I know of that would cover something like this,” Bartz said.
Daughter left with uncertainty
Peters’ daughter now faces an uncertain financial future.
“Most important she’s alive but now she has to deal with this, and I feel bad for her because if she doesn’t have the money for the repairs if her name is on the deed this falls on her shoulders,” Bartz said.
Requests for comment from City of Glendale leaders about whether the city will cover any of the damage — to that home or others affected as collateral damage — have not yet been answered.
This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
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