A Clairemont man was in custody, accused of opening fire on San Diego Police, punching two officers in the face and attempting to choke a police dog during a standoff Monday.
Shots were fired while officers surrounded the home owned by Hayden Gerson on Mount St. Helens Drive. Officers fired approximately 15 rounds in the direction of gunfire coming from inside the home.
"The gunfight included multiple volleys of gunfire," said SDPD Capt. Brian Ahearn.
SDPD officers were called to the home just after 9:30 p.m. for a domestic disturbance and spoke with Gerson.
“At some point, he started to become agitated and make delusional statements towards the officers,” Ahearn said.
Soon after, Gerson attacked the officers, punching the first officer, Ahearn said. One officer deployed a taser but that was not effective, the investigator said.
“Mr. Gerson punched the second officer multiple times in the face and also choked him,” Ahearn said.
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The officers pulled back and called for backup. Officers in full tactical gear responded to the scene, armed with rifles.
“Shortly after [Gerson] came back to the door and produced a handgun and racked the slide of the gun," Ahearn said.
After the officers positioned themselves at a house nearby, they said they saw a curtain move and and then heard multiple rounds being fired in their direction from inside the house, the investigator said.
When Gerson walked out of the front door of the home, he refused officer commands, Ahearn said.
Officers attempted to use other non-lethal weapons and deployed a K-9 to take Gerson into custody.
"Mr. Gerson fought with the K-9, bit the K-9 and also started to choke the K-9," Ahearn said.
Gerson, 33, was hospitalized for injuries suffered during a fight with the police dog. He faces three counts of attempted murder of a police officer, according to Lt. Mike Holden with the SDPD Homicide Unit.
Two officers were transported to local hospitals for scrapes, bruises. They and the police dog were expected to recover. The officers have been with the department for 5 and 9 years, Holden said in a written statement.
At least a dozen homes in the nearby area were evacuated during the standoff.
