Man Arrested After Allegedly Trying To Shoot Sonoma County Deputy, Park Ranger
SONOMA (CBS SF) -- A man who allegedly pulled the trigger on a gun that did not fire while pointing it at two officers and a park ranger was arrested after a short pursuit, an encounter the sheriff's office called "an extremely difficult situation."
The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said dispatchers received calls Thursday at about 3 p.m. about a person causing a disturbance near Maxwell Farms Park in Sonoma. A California Highway Patrol officer and county park ranger arrived to find a man with a knife in a fight with another man on Verano Ave.
A sheriff's deputy arrived and shortly after the suspect, identified as 28-year-old Henry Morgan, grabbed a gun from a vehicle and began waving it and pointing it in the direction of the officers and the ranger. While still pointing, Morgan pulled the trigger multiple times. but the gun did not go off, according to the sheriff's office.
Morgan, who police described as a transient, did not comply with officers' multiple commands to put down the gun and continued to point at the officers and pull the trigger, pulling back the slide in an attempt to make the gun fire, the sheriff's office said.
Morgan then drove away and led deputies on a short chase that ended on the dead end of School St. When Morgan put his car in reverse toward a patrol car, the deputy rammed the car, pinning it in. Morgan tried to run away but was quickly captured on the 400 block of Craig Ave., the sheriff's office said.
Deputies retrieved a functional gun from the car that was unloaded, the sheriff's office said.
Morgan was booked on a litany of charges including attempted murder, resisting arrest, and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. His bail was set at $1 million.
In a Facebook post, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department acknowledged the County Regional Parks and the CHP for their help in the call.
"We would also like to thank all the involved peace officers who showed great courage to resolve this situation peacefully," the statement said. "This was an extremely difficult situation. Fortunately, nobody was injured."