Palmdale Man Suspected of Threatening Wife, Deputies

A 49-year-old Palmdale man surrendered to sheriff’s deputies early Friday morning after allegedly threatening his estranged wife and sheriff’s deputies with a pistol.

Bill Lance was barricaded in his home for several hours before Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies drove him out using rubber bullets, nonlethal grenades and tear gas, deputies said.

He was treated at Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center for bruises and gas inhalation before being booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a firearm at a peace officer and making terrorist threats, according to an official at the Lancaster sheriff’s station.

The incident began when Lance showed up at his wife’s workplace carrying a handgun Thursday and threatened her, deputies said. She fled in a car and called for help after a car chase, deputies said. Sheriff’s officials withheld the woman’s name.

Deputies arrived at Lance’s house and began evacuating surrounding homes. Soon after, Lance appeared in his doorway with a handgun and pointed it at a deputy, who fired once but missed, sheriff’s officials said.

The sheriff’s SWAT team arrived and forced Lance into surrendering. He is being held on $50,000 bail at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.