US Marshals, law enforcement raid Moreno Valley apartments to search for shooting suspect

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Residents of a Moreno Valley apartment building were evacuated from their homes for more than 12 hours due to a raid conducted by the U.S. Marshals.

U.S. Marshals agents and law enforcement agencies across Riverside County converged at an apartment structure near Cottonwood Avenue and Edgemont Street overnight. They were searching for a suspect linked to a shooting that occurred on Sunday.

Residents at the apartment complex told Eyewitness News that the suspect ran into one unit, quickly entered the attic, and after a long standoff, crossed over into the attic of the neighbors next door. Authorities said the suspect held officials at bay for 12 hours before finally surrendering.

Some residents said they were evacuated from their homes around 4 p.m. Tuesday. They said they had to sleep in their cars or wander the streets, wondering when they would get back inside.

"I went out and they were like, 'We need you to evacuate for your own safety,'" said area resident Xitlalic Rico.

Rico said the officials who told her to evacuate helped her carry her two sleeping children, 5 and 2 years old, out of her home.

"They took out planks from my fence and we crawled, like we squeezed through there," Rico described.

Most residents were able to return to their homes by 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The U.S. Marshals have yet to release details regarding the raid. In addition, details about the weekend shooting were not immediately released.