Deputies shoot and kill armed suspect who allegedly fired at SoCal Edison crew in Mentone

MENTONE, Calif. (KABC) -- An armed man accused of firing at a Southern California Edison crew was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies following an hours-long standoff.

The incident unfolded shortly before 11 a.m. Friday in the 300 block of King Street in Mentone, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.

SoCal Edison told Eyewitness News that the crew was conducting scheduled tree pruning and vegetation clearing underneath powerlines nearby at the time of the shooting.

The utility company said the crew was not injured.

After shooting at the cleaning crew, the suspect then barricaded himself in his home, the sheriff's department said.

The agency says that the Sheriff's Specialized Enforcement Division (SED) responded, and crisis negotiators tried communicating with the suspect to get him to surrender. Shortly after 2 p.m., the suspect fired at SED deputies, resulting in a deputy involved shooting, the sheriff's department said.

The suspect was hit by gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene.

No deputies were injured in the incident.

No further details were immediately known.

Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Specialized Investigations Division at 909-890-4904. Those who want to remain anonymous can call or text REPORT to We-Tip at (844) 909-3006.