FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A 53 year old man is taken into custody after firing shots at Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputies overnight.
It all started around 10:00 Sunday night in Squaw Valley.
The suspect was inside with his adult son at the home on the 35,000 block of George Smith Road.
Fresno County Sheriff Spokesperson Tony Botti says the man called the Sheriff’s Office to report strange activity taking place outside his house.
“Our deputies arrived there after this guy had been making some real off-the-wall comments of seeing some stuff out in his yard. About a dozen people tearing up his property, killing his animals. He had told our dispatchers that he had a gun and he would defend himself if he needed to,” said Botti.
Botti said they focused on trying to safely get the man’s son out of the home, but efforts were delayed once they heard several gunshots being fired inside the home.
About 30 minutes later, dispatchers were able to call the suspect’s son, and encouraged him to get out.
He eventually walked out of the home and met deputies by their patrol vehicles.
A short time later, the older man fired out of the house toward deputies.
Two deputies returned fire.
Just before 1:00 am, deputies found the suspect outside, running across the property and were able to capture him without incident.
Botti said he was transported to a hospital in Fresno with cuts and bruises, and is undergoing a mental evaluation.
Once released, he will be booked into the Fresno County Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and negligently discharging a firearm inside a home.
Detectives have obtained a search warrant and are looking around the five acre parcel of land for evidence.
Records are also being checked for any possible prior contact with the suspect.
This remains an ongoing investigation.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’S Liz Kern:
