Paso Robles man fires gun outside home, points rifle at CHP helicopter, sheriff says
A man shot a gun outside his rural Paso Robles home and pointed a rifle at a California Highway Patrol helicopter, prompting neighborhood residents to shelter in place, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call at about 10:15 a.m. Thursday from a woman who said her husband had threatened her and fired a gun outside of their home in Whitley Gardens east of Paso Robles, according to an agency news release.
The man — identified as 55-year-old Darren Lee Lowry — “roamed about the property until deputies showed up,” the Sheriff’s Office said, while his wife hid in a trailer on their property.
When deputies arrived, Lowry reportedly hid inside the couple’s home, according to the release.
At one point, Lowry came outside, pointed a rifle at the CHP helicopter hovering above his home and then retreated back inside, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Lowry’s actions prompted a temporary shelter-in-place order for residents of surrounding homes, the release said.
Sheriff’s Office deputies and CHP officers then set up a perimeter around the home, the release said.
“Specially trained members of the Sheriff’s Tactical Negotiation Team were able to make contact with Lowry,” the Sheriff’s Office said, and he eventually exited the home.
Lowry was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon involving a firearm and making criminal threats, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
He was being held Thursday evening at San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to jail records.
