Crime & Safety
Man With BB Gun Causes Scare in French Valley
Street were blocked off and numerous officers surrounded the French Valley home of a man who reportedly was playing in his yard with a toy gun.
A man who was spotted playing with a BB gun in his front yard caused a scare Thursday.
A neighbor called the sheriff's department at 3:43 p.m. reporting she was a man in his early to mid 20s aiming a handgun into a nearby wooded area at the corner of Benton and Pourroy roads, according to a sheriff's dispatcher.
When a deputy showed up, the man hurried into his house, said sheriff's Lt. Scott Madden.
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"That's what escalated (the situation) a little bit," the lieutenant said today. "If this is a man with a gun, and he just went into a house, you have the potential for hostages."
The deputy called for backup, and numerous patrol cars closed down nearby roads and surrounded the house, Madden said.
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The man came out willingly after an officer called him on a loudspeaker, and officials went into the house and made sure all the residents were safe, Madden said.
No arrests were made and no charges were filed.
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