Armed man in Pinole surrenders to police; dog fatally shot
PINOLE, Calif. - An armed man whose mother said was having a mental health breakdown ended up surrendering to police after a nearly 4-hour standoff in Pinole, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and police.
No human injuries were suffered, but the police did say that the man killed a dog.
Pinole police said trouble in the area began Sunday night, when a mother called police to report her 32-year-old son was having delusions, making paranoid statements and was in possession of her handgun.
Police responded at 10:30 p.m. to a home at the 700 block of Marlesta Road. The mother had vacated the home and met with police at a second location, police said.
Police said a second caller reported hearing gunshots from the house. Officers searched the home, but did not find anyone. They did find a pit bull suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers found bullet holes and bullet casings in the house as well as a large capacity magazine, leading them to believe the man had a second gun.
Witnesses told police the man had left in a white Infiniti I30. Police said an automated license plate reader camera detected the vehcile in the San Pablo area at around. Cell phone data tracked the vehicle back in Pinole at 12:45 a.m.
By 2 a.m., officers said they spotted the Infiniti driving with its lights off at San Pablo Ave. near Sunnyview Dr. The driver turned left onto Kilkenny Way from Tara Hills Drive. Police said he pulled over to the curb and fled on foot.
The sheriff's department, Hercules, and San Pablo police helped Pinole police in establishing a perimeter.
A shelter-in-place was ordered. Police said that everyone should go inside, and close and lock all windows and doors.
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At 6 a.m, police had asked residents on Kildare Way between Marlesta Road and Kilkenny Way to stay inside because of some "law enforcement activity."
Police were able to negotiate with him, and they emphasized they wanted to give him time and space to surrender peacefully.
The standoff was reported over just after 9:30 a.m. when law enforcement convinced the man to discard two guns.
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Shannon and Tara Hills elementary schools and Pinole Middle School decided to close for the day.
The un-named man was taken to Contra Costa County Regional Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. He is facing firearms charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, negligent discharge of a weapon as well as animal cruelty.
