El Cajon

An armed man barricaded himself inside an East Lexington Street apartment for two hours Saturday night and fired one shot out the window before surrendering.

Donald E. Carlson, 36, was talked out of the apartment by Officer Nancy Amos in negotiations that lasted 90 minutes, a police spokeswoman said.

The incident began when Carlson allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, Mary Lou Spatz, and threatened her with a gun during a dispute that began about 7:30 p.m.

In a telephone call to police, Carlson said he wanted to turn himself in but was armed and would shoot the first person through the door, the spokeswoman said.

Police evacuated about 20 people from nearby apartments and began negotiating over the telephone with Carlson, who at one point fired a shot out the window when he believed a police officer was nearby, the spokeswoman said.

Carlson emerged unarmed about 9:30 p.m. and was arrested. Police recovered a .22-caliber revolver from inside the apartment.

Carlson was booked into County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and exhibiting a firearm in a threatening manner, the spokeswoman said.