78-year-old man arrested after allegedly shooting at son in Cathedral City

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ)  - A 78-year-old man is facing charges after discharging a firearm in a Cathedral City home, nearly injuring his son, police said.

The incident was first reported at around 10:30 p.m. on the 68100 block of Tortuga Road, near Avenida La Paz.

Police said the man fired the gun at his son, a 41-year-old man. The son was not injured, despite initial reports that he was.

The victim and another person in the house were taken to the hospital for treatment and questioning.

During the next several hours, officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect to surrender. Police said the suspect was highly intoxicated and refused to cooperate or surrender. Officers could see the suspect was still armed and the decision was made to back away from the residence. 

Officers were monitoring the house through the night. At around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, several law enforcement agencies, including SWAT and emergency crews, returned to the house.

Negotiators were able to observe the suspect still inside the residence, but due to his physical condition, he was unable to move. The SWAT team were able to make entry into the residence and take the suspect into custody safely.

The 78-year-old suspect was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment by Cathedral City Fire & EMS personnel. He will be transferred to a jail facility once medical clearance is received. 

Detectives subsequently served a search warrant on the residence to look for evidence of the crime. During the search, evidence of a shooting was found, and 45 firearms were seized from the residence. 

Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.