BURBANK (CNS) - A man with a gun arrested in Burbank on Saturday after a nearly five-hour search was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and arson, authorities said.
Gilberto Siose, 50, of Los Angeles was jailed at the Inmate Reception Center in lieu of $6.045 million bail, Burbank Police Sgt. Derek Green said.
Police were called to the 1500 block of North Niagara Street at 10:20 p.m. Friday for a reported restraining order violation and heard what they thought were shots being fired, according to Lt. Adam Cornils with the Burbank Police Department.
Authorities noticed a fire in one of the houses in the area and officers made contact with three people inside the home and safely evacuated them, he said.
The three were women, including one with whom Siose had a relationship, Burbank police Lt. Claudio Losacco told reporters at an afternoon news conference. He had been involved in a domestic violence incident against her in Glendale a few days before and had briefly resided at the Burbank home, he said.
The three women confirmed shots had been fired inside the home and said he shooter was in the area, Cornils said. Shots were fired after officers arrived, but it was not clear whether they were fired at officers, Losacco said.
Officers in a police helicopter spotted the suspect fleeing the area, a perimeter was established and a SWAT team and K-9 officers, along with officers from Glendale and Pasadena police departments, were brought in to search for the suspect, he said.
When firefighters first arrived, they could not battle the flames due to concerns for their safety from the armed suspect, Losacco said. Eventually, they donned bullet-proof vests and were able to put water on the fully involved house fire with the help of a police escort. They returned when the flames re- ignited.
Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to nearby homes but the engulfed home was a total loss, police said.
At 3:15 a.m., Siose was found in the backyard of a home in the 1400 block of Catalina Street, but allegedly did not comply with directions from officers and a police dog was deployed.
The suspect was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered at the scene, authorities said.
Siose was treated at a hospital for bites suffered during his encounter with the K-9 officer before he was booked, Losacco said.