A suspected attempted murderer was arrested outside a southeast
Hollister house after a four-hour standoff that forced Cerra Vista
Elementary School to go into lock-down, according to a school
administrator and police.
Also with this story: A video interview with police and
neighbors about the standoff and a map of where the standoff
occurred.
After a four-hour standoff today, police arrested 40-year-old Ruben A. Garcia, who had locked himself inside his 1520 Brighton Ave. home after prosecutors charged him with attempted murder on suspicion of shooting his mother Sunday three times with a handgun.
Garcia had fled the scene of the shooting, and authorities had been searching for him when a neighbor phoned police today around 8:55 a.m. saying he had seen Garcia go into the home, said Officer Rosie Betanio, Hollister police spokeswoman.
From outside Garcia’s house, Detective Jeff Caires used a loudspeaker to ask the suspect to “come out with your hands up.” At 12:56 p.m., two officers escorted a handcuffed Garcia from the house to a waiting police car.
Cerra Vista Elementary School was put on lock-down shortly after 9 a.m. this morning when police called Hollister School District officials to inform them of the situation and request that the students be kept inside the classrooms, Superintendent Ron Crates said.
“All the kids were kept inside the classrooms with the doors locked,” Crates said. “The teachers kept them busy doing school work. I think we are very well prepared to deal with emergencies like this.”
Several blocks in the area near Cerra Vista Elementary School were evacuated as about 20 police officers, sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers used tape and vehicles to block off streets leading to the house.
During the standoff, parent Fred George was waiting to pick up his four children and said he received a recorded message from the school this morning that said it had to be locked down and to wait for further instructions.
“The message said not to call the school and that they would get in touch with us as soon as we could pick up the kids,” George said. “My only concern was that the kids didn’t have any food or water inside the classrooms.”
Cara Hopkins said she lives next to Garcia and heard three gunshots Sunday night around 11:15 p.m. around the time of the shooting.
After Garcia was arrested, children at the school were allowed to go home, and parent Scott Cramer walked hand-in-hand with his two children to their car where cheeseburgers were waiting for the hungry kids. His son Cole said he was “starving” having eaten little that day.
“The school did an awesome job keeping the kids safe,” Cramer said. “I think some parents were worried about the kids when they didn’t have enough information, but still, the school put the kids’ safety first.”
Cramer also said he lives “right behind” Garcia and heard gunshots Sunday night when authorities believe he shot his mother in the face, arm and hand.
“I heard shots, then a woman screaming really loud, then I heard a guy yelling, then another shot,” Cramer said. “After that, everything was silent. Even the dogs stopped barking.”
