Behind the Badge
Shotgun blasts that temporarily forced precautionary shutdowns of five schools in Garden Grove on Thursday morning were linked to a man now in custody, the Garden Grove PD said in a news release.
Carlos Villanueva, 27, was arrested on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a negligent manner, assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats in an incident police say is possibly gang related and that remains under investigation.
The GGPD did not release the name or names of the victim or victims.
The incident unfolded around 7:45 a.m. Thursday in the 8500 block of Blanche Avenue when the GGPD received reports of shots being fired in the area.
Five nearby schools — Alamitos Intermediate, Lawrence Elementary, Stanford Elementary, Faylane Elementary and Zeyen Elementary — were placed on lockdown for precautionary reasons until the suspect was located.
Witnesses described a male Hispanic in his 20s, heavy set, wearing a black hoody and blue jeans.
Officers arrived and confirmed a shotgun had been fired in front of a home and learned that Villanueva, a possible suspect, was living in the 8500 block of Haga Street, according to the news release.
A perimeter was set up and people in the house came out but were uncooperative, the release said.
Villanueva was caught trying to escape a police perimeter but was arrested.
The weapon has yet to be located.
The school lockdowns were lifted around 10:15 a.m., around the time Villanueva was arrested.
