A 10-year-old San Diego boy armed with a shotgun was arrested Thursday after police said he fired two rounds at officers after he barricaded himself inside a shed in his backyard, according to police and news reports.
No casualties or injuries were immediately reported.
The gunfire led to an intense standoff involving a SWAT team at the boy’s home on Boston Avenue in Southcrest, reports said.
The boy’s parents said they called police around 9:13 a.m. to report he was in mental distress and had already harmed himself with a hammer and knife, according to reports by NBC 7 in San Diego.
When police arrived at the home around 10 o’clock, the boy fled to the backyard and into the shed where a shotgun was stored, NBC 7 reported, citing San Diego Police Department Lt. Shawn Takeuchi.
That’s when officers said two shots were fired in their direction.
Around the same time of the incident, Naval Base San Diego issued an emergency lockdown after an unspecified security breach. The lockdown was lifted about an hour later after no threat was found. Fox5 San Diego reported that the lockdown had been prompted by “suspicious activity.”
It wasn’t clear whether the shooting at the home had anything to do with the lockdown at the base, as some witnesses reported an active shooter on Twitter.
Dozens of police vehicles were seen swarming the neighborhood. Roads were blocked off and other homes in the line of fire had to be evacuated.
Fox5 reported that officers took up positions behind their cars and called for the boy to come out.
The boy surrendered at 11:15 a.m. with his arms in the air, NBC7 reported.
A crisis negotiation team reportedly made contact with the boy before he gave himself up.
The boy was taken to a medical facility for evaluation, NBC7 reported.
— This is a developing story. Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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