Police arrest man after hours-long standoff at SLO apartment complex

An hours-long standoff at a San Luis Obispo apartment complex ended late Monday night with one person being arrested after he allegedly fired a gun in the neighborhood.

According to a San Luis Obispo Police Department news release, the department received reports of gunshots in the vicinity of the 1500 block of Madonna Road late Sunday evening.

Responding officers however did not find any evidence of gunshots, according to the release.

The next morning, the department received a report from a resident in the same block of a bullet hole in the trunk of their car, the release said.

Investigation revealed Luis Martin Barron, 30 of San Luis Obispo, was suspected of firing a gun in the Madonna Road Apartments neighborhood.

At around 5:15 p.m. on Monday, the department said it received a 911 call that “Barron was banging on the door and window of a neighbor’s apartment while holding a gun.”

“Officers responded immediately to the apartment complex and located Barron who retreated into his apartment and refused to come out,” the release said.

The San Luis Obispo Regional SWAT Team was called to assist and a perimeter was established around the residence while nearby apartments and buildings were evacuated, according to the release.

Meanwhile on social media, the police department told other nearby residents to shelter in place.

Everyone else was asked to avoid the area of Madonna Road, El Tigre Court and Eto Circle while the SWAT operation was ongoing, according to Deputy Chief Fred Mickel.

“Right now we have a potential armed suspect we are dealing with,” he told The Tribune at the time. “We want to make sure everybody is safe, so we want people to stay away from the area for now.”

San Luis Obispo Police Department spokesperson Christine Wallace later clarified during the incident that the person of interest was in an apartment in the area Monday night.

“We are seeking a suspect we believe has a gun,” Wallace told The Tribune. “We will share information when the shelter in place is lifted.”

SLO residents evacuated during standoff

Over a dozen police cars lined up outside of El Tigre Court and Madonna Road through much of Monday evening.

Nearby, several residents awaited the go ahead to return to their homes as the standoff stretched into the night.

Zach Maxwell told The Tribune he got a phone call from his mom saying she’d been evacuated from the house with his little brother.

“So I just came home from work and just trying to make sure everything’s okay,” Maxwell said.

Another neighbor, Tony Cordero, said he tried to go home after work but was blocked by police.

“I don’t know how long these situations, how long they last,” Cordero said.

Police arrest 30-year-old SLO man suspected of firing gun in neighborhood

Officers at first attempted to contact Barron at his residence via loudspeaker, but were not successful, the release said.

Later, SLOPD Crisis Negotiators were able to reach Barron on a cell phone and “spoke with him for several hours, attempting to deescalate and negotiate a peaceful resolution,” the release said.

After nearly six hours of standoff, Barron exited the apartment and was taken into custody without incident at around 11:26 p.m.

A person was taken into custody with no injuries to the person or to law enforcement personnel, the San Luis Obispo Police Department posted on social media just before midnight.

Barron was transported to San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of a felony charge for unlawful discharge of a weapon, the release said.

San Luis Obispo Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and Cal Fire all also provided assistance with the incident.

As of Tuesday morning, Barron was still in jail custody on suspicion of several other charges as well, including misdemeanor carrying a loaded firearm in public, failure to appear and traffic charges, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s Who’s in Custody website.

His bail was set at $37,000.