Police arrest 41-year-old man for attempted homicide following two shootings in San Luis Obispo County
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – Police arrested a 41-year-old Visalia resident after he shot at two people in two separate instances, both on Thursday, according to San Luis Obispo Police.
The first shooting happened in Grover Beach around 1:00 p.m. when the man shot a 7/11 employee at on Grand Avenue and fled the scene before police arrived.
Grover Beach Police said the employee was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive.
SLOPD said due to surveillance video of the 41-year-old's black Ford Mustang getaway car posted to social media by Grover Beach Police, officers were able to link the man to the following shooting in SLO.
The second shooting happened around 3:27 p.m. in the 1500 block of Froom Ranch Way.
Witnesses saw the 41-year-old shoot at a car as it was driving away, hitting and injuring a passenger. Police said the passenger took themselves to a nearby hospital.
SLOPD later found the man when they responded to a tip received at 4:20 p.m. that the Ford Mustang was in the 1900 block of San Luis Ranch Road.
The department said the man surrendered when police found him with the help of deputies from the SLO Sheriff's Office, California State Parks, California Fish and Wildlife and California Highway Patrol.
Police said the Visalia man did not have a weapon on him during his arrest, but officers learned there were two possibly armed people within the nearby residence, so they called the regional SWAT team to help secure the area – meanwhile placing residents within a two-block radius to shelter in place.
The response teams found the residence to be empty, and officers later recovered a handgun at a nearby model home after learning the man had stopped by there before his arrest.
Police said they took the 41-year-old to SLO County Jail and booked him on two counts of attempted murder, attempted carjacking, felon in possession of a handgun, and felon in possession of ammunition.
