Police: Armed Suspect Barricades Self Inside Fullerton Business

FULLERTON (CBSLA.com) — Authorities say a man believed to be armed with a handgun holed up inside a business in Fullerton.

The barricade situation in the 2500 block of Fender Avenue prompted the evacuation of nearby businesses on Sunday morning.

CBS2's Art Barron spoke to Victor Jimenez who owns a videography business in the commercial office complex across from where the suspect was holed up.

He told Barron that he and his wife and daughter were awakened when police tried to apprehend the suspect at State College Boulevard and Fender Avenue.

"It was pretty scary," Jimenez said, "not only for myself but for my daughter ... to see a SWAT team. Before we knew it, we were getting dragged out ourselves, patted down, all that stuff."

Fullerton police say the incident began at Fender State College after a victim of a tablet theft tracked his alleged assailant to the campus.

According to police, the victim had used a tracking device just after 6 a.m. to locate his tablet, which had been stolen in Costa Mesa this past July.

Upon arriving on scene, the victim and a friend confronted the suspect -- now identified as 24-year-old Edgar Espana -- who had just allegedly burglarized a nearby business.

Police said Espana produced a handgun and told the victim to step aside.

Moments later, the suspect fled, prompting the victim to call police.

Once officers arrived on scene, they said the suspect ran inside a building where he kept authorities at bay.

Police remind the public to not take the law into their own hands and confront suspects.

"You never know what kind of person [you are dealing with]," an officer told Barron, "Or what they are capable of."

Espana could face charges of possession of stolen property as well as brandishing a firearm.