Man Arrested After Barricading Himself in Police Vehicle, Firing Shot at California Officers

A SWAT team took a mentally ill suspect who barricaded himself in a police car and fired a shot at officers into custody Wednesday morning in Garden Grove, CA, police say.

An Orange County Mental Health worker called police to report a patient was acting psychotic, Garden Grove Police Lt. Carl Whitney told City News Service . Officers arrived around 9:25 p.m. Tuesday and were asked to stand by as the worker conducted an evaluation, Whitney said.

The worker determined the man needed to go to another facility for further evaluation and officers had the man wait in a police car until an ambulance arrived. The man was not under arrest and was not handcuffed, Whitney said.

While in the back of a police car, the man gained access to the front of the car where he took possession of a semiautomatic patrol rifle, Whitney said.

The man fired one shot, which went through the windshield, prompting officers to evacuate the area and call SWAT officers to the scene. No injuries were reported and officers did not return fire, Whitney said.

After several hours of negotiation, the suspect surrendered.