Gunman reportedly asked police to shoot him
Officer uses Taser to avoid potentially deadly situation
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Police used a Taser to subdue a Simi Valley man this week after he allegedly ignored commands by officers to drop a loaded handgun, officials said.

Louis Barrientos, 54, was admitted to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center on Tuesday, shortly after police responded to an emergency call at 10:50 a.m. concerning a man who had fired a shot in the vicinity of Challenger Park on the south end of First Street at Bluegrass Street, according to Lt. David Livingstone of the Simi Valley Police Department.

"The gun was in plain sight," Livingstone said. "The officers elected to use a Taser as a way to protect his life."

Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Barrientos walking northbound on First Street with a 9 mm handgun.

Despite numerous commands by police to stop and discard his weapon, Barrientos continued to advance toward oncoming traffic.

According to a police report, the gunman repeatedly asked officers to shoot him as he walked up the street.

After a few more officers arrived at the scene, police temporarily contained the area, and some hid behind a small retaining wall before using the electroshock device. No further shots were fired.

"It wasn't a long and drawn out thing," Livingstone said. "(The officers) located him fairly quickly, and they tried to resolve it by speaking to him first."

While police were prepared to use deadly force if necessary, they were successfully able to diffuse the situation in less than 10 minutes and take Barrientos into custody without injury by use of the Taser, Livingstone said.

Following his arrest, the gunman was transported to Los Robles Hospital and admitted for a preexisting medical condition. He was detained pending a mental health evaluation, the police report stated.

Kris Carroway, vice president of marketing and public relations at the hospital, said Barrientos was discharged on Feb. 20.

She could not provide further details.

Livingstone said police are continuing the investigation and have not determined what charges, if any, will be pressed against Barrientos. Information on his current location and status has not been released.