San Benito County Sheriff’s deputies disarmed and arrested a man with a loaded handgun, who was threatening to shoot his mother, according to authorities.
About 3pm Feb. 13, deputies responded to a report of a 25-year-old Hollister man who was armed with a revolver, Sheriff Eric Taylor posted on social media Feb. 14. Dispatch had received a call reporting the man was threatening to shoot his mother.
Just before deputies arrived, the man had left the residence near Hillcrest Road and El Cerro Drive, where he had been making threats, according to the sheriff. The suspect was possibly under the influence of heroin.
Deputies contacted the man down the street from the residence, and saw that his right hand was in his pocket, likely holding the firearm, authorities said. The man told deputies he was armed and refused to follow the officers’ commands.
Following a “tense standoff” in which the man repeatedly refused to comply with law enforcement commands, a deputy deployed “less-lethal” bean bag rounds from a shotgun, Taylor said. The projectiles struck the man in his lower abdomen and pelvis area.
The suspect fell to the ground, allowing deputies to approach him and recover the firearm, Taylor said. The man was taken into custody and provided medical care before he was booked on a number of felony charges.
“Our office is fortunate to have less-lethal options to end these incidents without loss of life,” Taylor posted. “The deputy sheriffs on scene were calm and professional in the face of grave danger.”
