Local News in Brief : Garden Grove : Man Shot in Scuffle With Officers, Police Say

A police officer shot a Santa Ana man once in the arm during a scuffle Wednesday night after relatives called authorities for help to remove him from their apartment, authorities said Thursday.

Gomez Chico Margarito, 33, who police said has a history of mental problems but was not taking prescribed medications, was listed in fair condition Thursday in the jail ward at UCI Medical Center in Orange, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Margarito was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer for allegedly swinging a blunt object at two police officers when they tried to subdue him, Garden Grove Police Sgt. Paul Prince said.

The police officer who shot Margarito was placed on administrative leave, a routine procedure in officer-involved shootings, Prince said. The district attorney’s office is investigating the incident, a routine procedure in such shootings.

The officer’s name was withheld by police officials, who described him as a five-year veteran of the Garden Grove department.

Police were called shortly before midnight Wednesday to an apartment in the 12600 block of Morningside Drive by Margarito’s relatives, who said he was creating a disturbance and wanted him to leave, Prince said.

As the officers talked to Margarito he suddenly attacked them, Prince said, and a struggle ensued.