A 46-year-old Saugus man has been identified as the suspect who was arrested on suspicion of multiple felonies following a barricaded incident that ensued after he shot at an unoccupied car near first responders and an elementary school in Saugus on Wednesday morning, according to an official with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
Thomas Watson is the man who was experiencing a mental health crisis and shot about three rounds – one toward an unoccupied car that was near Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel and Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies — and two in the air, according to Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the station.
Watson was arrested on suspicion of three felonies: assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm, and discharge of a firearm near a school.
The school was James Foster Elementary School, which is just up the street from the incident on the 26600 block of Pamplico Drive. The school was placed on a soft lockdown during the barricade incident.
A “soft lockdown” means students could move from room to room with an escort, and all students and employees were safe, school officials said.
The incident began around 9:02 a.m. when first responders were dispatched to the scene. Sheriff’s officials said the man then barricaded himself inside a home, as the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department brought in numerous resources to handle the incident.
At 11 a.m., about two hours after the initial incident, the man emerged from the home and was detained by sheriff’s deputies.
The firearm that was used was taken as evidence, but it has not been confirmed whether the firearm was registered in Watson’s name, Miller added.
Watson is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the station as of the publication of this story, Miller said.
