By Emily Alvarenga and Tammy Murga
A man was transported to the hospital after a scuffle that led to shots being fired inside a gated community in Canyon Country Monday.
The person, described by law enforcement only as a Hispanic man, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and his condition remained unknown Monday evening. Multiple witnesses reported the man was involved in the scuffle with two people after the man allegedly rammed a red pickup truck through the gate of the residential community.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies received a call shortly after 2 p.m. about a traffic collision located at the 26700 block of MacMillan Ranch Road between Warm Springs Drive, according to Lt. Charles Calderaro with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau.
“The vehicle then proceeded into the complex and made a right turn to go northbound,” said Calderaro. “Residents had seen the vehicle inside the complex and two individuals — one was a retired L.A. County sheriff’s deputy — had approached the vehicle to see what was going on.”
Upon contact, there was a struggle and the driver of the truck “produced a firearm, which resulted in a shooting,” Calderaro said, adding that the man was struck twice in the upper torso.
A number of residents of the gated community said they witnessed the scene, including HOA President Eddie Hansen, who said the retired deputy and his son-in-law went to find the driver after the crash at the gate.
“So, the guy parked at the end of the street and just sat in his truck and then one of the other neighbors blocked him in,” said Hansen. “The driver, one neighbor and his father-in-law … started having a scuffle and the father-in-law says, ‘Watch out; he’s got a gun.’”
Hansen added that the retired deputy shot the driver after the driver reached for the weapon.
Calderaro confirmed both the driver and the retired deputy each had a firearm. The gun that law enforcement officials recovered from the scene is believed to belong to the driver.
Detectives do not believe the driver is a resident of the gated community and were still working to find out how he was linked to the area.
“We don’t know what type of business he had coming to this location,” said Calderaro.
Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Henry Narvaez confirmed the driver was taken to the hospital.
Through the afternoon and into Monday evening, Sheriff’s Station officials set up a temporary containment of the area to conduct their investigation and advised the public to avoid the scene.
