A Merced man has been arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and endangering a child, among other charges, after an armed standoff with police in late July.
Just after 12 AM on Sunday, July 26, police received a call about a man threatening his girlfriend and young children with a firearm, going as far as firing off rounds, at a residence on the 2500 block of North Highway 59.
Police say that as they arrived and established a perimeter, the suspect — identified as 26-year-old Demarcus Lyons — opened a window and began firing rounds in their general direction, striking several other apartment units and a nearby trailer. He then tried to flee the residence on foot and was arrested after a brief struggle.
The children, ages three and one, and Lyons’ girlfriend were not injured.
Lyons has since been booked at the Merced County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an inhabited building, endangering a child with the possibility of great bodily harm, terrorist threats, and resisting arrest.
