First responders were called to a report of a shooting involving an employee of the L.A. County Sheriff‘s Department in Valencia on Tuesday morning in which no injuries were reported, but one person was transported to a hospital for an undisclosed reason.
Deputy Natalie Arriaga, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the LASD employee was detained by law enforcement pending a further investigation being conducted by the Sheriff’s Department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau.
Officials received the call at 7:29 a.m. on the 25400 block of Plaza Escovar, off of Wiley Canyon Road, in Valencia, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.
SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to the scene for reports of shots fired, according to Arriaga, who later confirmed the incident involved an LASD employee who was on approved leave from work.
“It was reported to us by (Sheriff’s Department) that somebody was shooting in the area,” said Fire Department Supervisor Melanie Flores.
When firefighters arrived, the scene had not yet been cleared and units on the scene were ordered to temporarily hold back until it was deemed safe to enter, according to Leslie Lua, a spokeswoman for the Fire Department.
At approximately 8 a.m., an ambulance was seen leaving the street with lights flashing, and multiple Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department vehicles could be seen parked on the neighborhood street.
Lt. Ryan Vienna of the Mental Evaluation Team, or MET, for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that a team had responded to Plaza Escovar on Tuesday regarding a call for service that was placed by the SCV Sheriff’s Station. MET typically responds to persons who are known or suspected of having some sort of mental health issue or underlying issue.
“(A man) was transported to the hospital by the Fire Department,” said Vienna, adding that he did not know what the specific medical reason for the transport was because it wasn’t related to a MET investigation.
Fire officials also confirmed that one patient was transported to the hospital at 8:04 a.m., though it was unclear what medical condition the patient was transported for, Lua said. An official from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital confirmed there were no patients transported Tuesday morning around the time of the incident as a result of a gunshot wound.
While no arrests had been made, Arriaga said there were no outstanding suspects and the public safety was not at risk as of 9 a.m.
Involved parties were still being interviewed, and the incident remained under investigation Tuesday, Arriaga added, with Sheriff’s Information Bureau officials later saying the incident is being investigated by the Sheriff’s Department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau.
Neighbor Ron Van Der Meer was in bed when he heard a burst of gunfire and approximately seven shots fired, he said.
“It seemed like a burst of five and then a short pause and then two more,” he said, adding that about 10-15 minutes later squad cars began to arrive. “We heard the sirens.”
A home at the end of the street had a broken window, as well as shattered garage door windows and Van Der Meer said he saw deputies first knock, before breaking down the door of that home.
“I think the people who lived there moved out about a week ago … and it’s vacant,” he added.
