Santa Clarita armed suspect surrenders to SWAT without pants after standoff

Footage captured a bizarre incident that unfolded in California Wednesday morning when an armed suspect surrendered to SWAT teams while wearing everything but pants. 

The incident occurred in a Santa Clarita neighborhood after Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) received reports of a man firing a gun in a school zone before barricading himself inside a home. The suspect was experiencing a mental health crisis, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.

During the response, several nearby schools were temporarily placed on a soft lockdown, the Saugus Union School District told Fox News Digital on Thursday. No injuries were reported, and students remained safe throughout the incident. 

“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) personnel are responding to assist Santa Clarita Station with a barricaded armed suspect,” the LASD said in a community alert, referring to their specialized tactical units.

“The suspect was arrested for illegally discharging a firearm within a school zone,” LASD added in a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Upon arrival, the authorities — which included deputies, SWAT personnel and a crisis negotiation team — set up a perimeter and attempted to “make contact with the suspect to bring this to a peaceful conclusion,” they said. 

Video captured by SkyFOX showed SWAT teams evacuating residents from the home as firefighters were placed on standby.

Images also showed a firearm left in the front yard, suggesting it may have been set aside after the suspect initially opened fire.

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Authorities said the suspect barricaded himself inside a home for roughly two hours before emerging. 

“After approximately two hours, the suspect exited the residence and surrendered to the arrest team without further incident,” they said. 

Footage showed the suspect walking out of the property wearing a hat, shirt, and socks — but no pants. As the half-naked man approached authorities, a pair of red bottoms appeared to trail from one ankle.

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After he was arrested, the SWAT team continued searching the home, and the lockdown was lifted.  

The school district confirmed that the sheriff requested Foster Elementary, located several blocks away, be placed on a soft lockdown. Several other schools in the community also voluntarily went into lockdown out of an abundance of caution, citing “an incident on a nearby street involving gun fire.”  

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