The incident unfolded around 4 p.m. at the Castaic Lake Senior Village in the 31000 block of Castaic Road, when a woman fired shots at deputies through her front door. Authorities were responding to a welfare service call.
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Deputies were not injured in the shooting and did not fire back at the woman. The woman, who is said to be in her 60s, remained in her unit.
Authorities evacuated three nearby apartments as a precaution. But neighbors said there were still people stuck inside their units. The complex houses people 55 years and older.
One woman said her sisters are in an apartment right next door to the suspect.
"They did not hear any gunshots, at least when I talked to them they hadn't. They're nervous. They'd like to get down here, but unfortunately they can't. I just talked to a guy from the SWAT team and they said they're trying to get them out," Liz Hill said.
Neighbors said the barricaded woman has mental health issues and police have been to the complex before.
Resident Jill Webb said the suspect placed her refrigerator in front of the door. She added the woman is schizophrenic.
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"She's a large woman, very sweet woman, but she's a big woman who could easily move a refrigerator," she said.
She added that authorities moved people out even through their balconies if they could not get out of their front door. Some neighbors are in their 90s and needed help getting out.
More units were later evacuated and a shelter was set up at the Castaic Aquatic Center. The American Red Cross was there to assist residents.
Sometime after 11 p.m., authorities were able to get the woman out of her unit and took her to a nearby hospital.
The investigation is ongoing.