Standoff near Merced High School ends with 1 in custody

A short police standoff ended Wednesday in Merced with one man in custody, accused of firing a gun during an argument with his spouse and running from officers, authorities reported.

Alan Christmas Jr., 34, surrendered to police just before 11 a.m. Wednesday in the 3000 block of Park Avenue. He was arrested on suspicion of negligently discharging a firearm and recklessly failing to yield to police, officers said in a news release.

Merced High School was placed on a security lockdown during the dispute, which happened close to the school. The students were never in any danger and the lockdown was ordered as a precaution, Merced Union High School District Superintendent Scott Scambray said.

Officers said an 11-year-old girl went to a neighbor’s home around 10 a.m. and said her parents had been fighting and her father had fired two shots from a gun, police said.

Police responded to the scene and saw a man, later identified as Christmas, leaving the home with something in his hand that he’d concealed with a towel, officers said.

“The officers ordered the suspect to show his hands but the suspect refused,” police said in the statement. “The suspect was able to get into his vehicle and fled from the scene.”

Police chased the suspect to an apartment complex on Park Avenue. The suspect entered his father’s apartment and officers surrounded the building.

Officers eventually convinced the man to surrender without further incident, police said.

“The officers during this incident showed (exceptional) control and professionalism during this critical incident,” Capt. Tom Trindad said in the statement.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Standoff near Merced High School ends with 1 in custody."