LOCAL : Santa Ana Man Held After Standoff
Special weapons and tactics deputies arrested an armed, distraught man early this morning after he had holed up in a Santa Ana-area garage Tuesday for an all-night standoff, according to a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Paul Jones Morgan, 47, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly fired several shots at his wife, then retreated to his home’s garage, where he refused to come out and repeatedly threatened to kill himself, said Sheriff’s Lt. Bob Rivas.
About 9 p.m. Tuesday, deputies went to the home in the 12000 block of Dunas Road after receiving a report of shots being fired, Rivas said. After Morgan’s wife and teen-age son escaped through a window, deputies called for Morgan to leave the detached garage.
Crisis negotiators talked with Morgan through the night as the man waved a 9-millimeter pistol and threatened suicide. About 7:10 a.m. today, SWAT deputies hurled flash-bang grenades into the garage to distract Morgan, then tackled him. Rivas said the man was reportedly distraught over marriage difficulties.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
