A 32-year-old Laguna Hills man was arrested Tuesday in the shooting of a security guard in the neighborhood of Nellie Gail Ranch.
The shooting was reported just after 11 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Bridlewood Drive and Saddlerock Place in Laguna Hills, where an on-duty security guard was found parked in his security vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds to his upper torso.
The security guard was hospitalized and remained in critical condition Wednesday, said Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Woodroof.
Deputies surrounded the home of the suspect, Matthew Luke Pickens, who surrendered peacefully, according to authorities. The 32-year-old man was arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder.
Authorities also seized multiple weapons from Pickens’ residence and vehicle. The weapons will be analyzed to determine if any were used in the shooting, the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Further information on the circumstances of the shooting and the motive, if known, was not immediately disclosed by authorities.
The security guard is an employee of 24-Hour Mobile Patrol and was the only on-duty security officer at the time of the shooting, according to Brian Mitchell, general manager of the Nellie Gail Ranch Homeowner’s Association.
