2 Arrested After Shots Fired in Atascadero

Two Atascadero men were arrested and charged with firing a weapon illegally after several gunshots were heard in the Paloma Creek Park area Thursday morning.

Christopher Stephens, 28 and Brian Sims, 24 were charged with negligent firing of a gun and firing a gun within the Atascadero City limits. Both men were arrested and booked at the San Luis Obispo County jail.

Just before 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, residents reported hearing shots fired rapidly, possibly from a rifle in 11,000 block of Halcon Road, near Viejo Camino. By the time officers arrived, they could still hear shots being fired, and believed those shots were aimed at them.

A perimeter was formed around the home where the shots were fired with help from San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team members and officers from the California Highway Patrol.

Four people in the house including Stephens and Sims were detained. A search warrant executed in the home found an AR-15 rifle and up to 40 shell casings in the back yard.

While homes are close to each other in that neighborhood, no one was hurt and no property damage was reported.

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