An armed suspect was apprehended Feb. 7 after a nearly 10-hour standoff and two school lockdowns in Rancho Santa Margarita.
The incident occurred at a condominium complex near the intersection of Arroyo Vista and Las Mesitas.
Deputies arrived on the scene around 12:30 a.m. after receiving a call that a man had pointed a handgun at another person and then fled into a nearby home, where he stayed barricaded until 10 a.m. prompting the evacuation of nearby residents and the school lockdowns, according to Sgt. Scott Steinle of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
SWAT and K-9 teams were additionally deployed to the location.
Upon surrendering, Daniel Eduardo Galvan, 19, was arrested without incident. He is being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, officials said.
The nearby Arroyo Vista Elementary School and a YMCA—which is on the same campus—were both locked down. Serra Catholic School—also an elementary school—was placed on a “shelter in place” order at 6:30 a.m., which remained effective until the suspect was apprehended, Steinle said.
After the arrest, a handgun, a high-capacity magazine, and over $1,600 were recovered, authorities announced on Twitter. Several boxes containing cannabis and packaging commonly used in narcotics sales were also discovered, authorities said on the social media platform.
