Two people were taken into custody by Santa Maria police on Friday afternoon, ending a standoff outside a residence in the northeast part of the city.
The incident — stemming from a domestic dispute involving a man and a woman — took place on the 1300 block of Seaward Drive, near Bayview Drive, in the River Oaks subdivision, according to Lt. Russ Mengel.
Officers were called to the scene at about 9:30 a.m. after reports of shots fired, Mengel said.
Police negotiators made contact with the man and woman at the house, Mengel said, and tried to convince them to surrender.
“They’re trying to work through this to get the occupants out of house,” Mengel told Noozhawk. “Hopefully in the near future.”
At one point a single “less lethal” round was fired at the male suspect, but he refused to comply with officers’ commands and retreated into the home, Mengel said.
At about 1:15 p.m., the couple surrendered and were taken into custody.
Officers obtained a warrant allowing them to search the home, Mengel said, adding that they would be looking for a gun along with other items.
John C. Bright, 48 of Santa Maria subsequently was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of resisting executive officers, possessing an assault weapon and possession of a silencer, Mengel said.
A criminal complaint against the female occupant of the residence will be forwarded to the Santa Barbara District Attorney for review, Mengel said. Her name was not released.
Nearby Taylor Elementary School reportedly was on lockdown during the incident.
Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.