Arrest ends tense 9-hour standoff with gunman in Lancaster

A 50-year-old Lancaster man who barricaded himself inside his home for about nine hours was taken into custody Tuesday evening shortly after firing several shots at deputies, authorities said.

Stephen Haynes walked outside his home with his hands in the air after deputies fired tear gas inside and was detained about 7:30 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

He had locked himself inside the home in the 44300 block of 4th Street East about 10:30 a.m. after pointing a rifle at deputies serving him with an eviction notice. The deputies immediately retreated and called for backup.

No deputies were injured during the incident, authorities said. Haynes was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for a non-life threatening, self-inflicted, gunshot wound to his jaw.

The Sheriff’s Department’s special enforcement bureau, special weapons team and crisis negotiations team responded to the scene.

Authorities learned that the man had access to several rifles. They believe he was inside the home by himself.

Deputies evacuated a nearby KinderCare daycare center as a precaution. Most students at El Dorado Elementary School in the 300 block of East Pondera Street were released to their parents.

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