A 59-year-old man who allegedly held family members against their will while armed at a Temecula-area property was shot in a confrontation with Riverside County sheriff’s deputies, but is expected to recover, a sergeant said Friday.
The deputy-involved shooting occurred about 11 p.m. Thursday in the 47400 block of Sandia Creek Drive, in the unincorporated community of De Luz, just west of Temecula, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Willison.
He said deputies were called to the 20-acre property about 4 p.m. to investigate a domestic disturbance and learned that Robert Utley was allegedly armed and threatening “to harm anyone who attempted to approach the residence,” or leave the premises.
A man and woman were holed up in a guest house, while Utley was in the main residence, Willison said.
Attempts to negotiate with Utley failed, and sheriff’s SWAT members were summoned to subdue the suspect, according to the sergeant.
“SWAT members made multiple attempts to contact Utley, but he refused to exit peacefully,” Willison said.
The deputies ultimately stormed the house, opening fire on the suspect, who suffered an unspecified number of gunshot wounds.
According to Willison, Utley was taken to a trauma center for treatment and is expected to recover, after which he’ll be booked into the Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of making criminal threats and false imprisonment.
–City News Service