A Laguna Beach man suspected of bludgeoning his aunt was arrested after a six-hour standoff Tuesday that ended after officers put tear gas into a South Laguna home.
Shaun Brant, 31, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.
At 10:20 a.m., Laguna Beach police received a 911 call reporting a woman was attacked with a blunt object by her nephew in the 31000 block of 9th Ave. Officers arrived at the scene to find a woman with significant injuries. The woman was transported by ambulance to Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo.
When Brant refused officers’ commands to exit the home, authorities closed 9th and 10th avenues between Sunset Avenue and South Coast Highway. Members of the joint Newport Beach and Laguna Beach SWAT Team responded to the scene in an armored tactical vehicle.
Laguna Beach Cpl. Thomas McGuire and K-9 officer Rudy, along with an Orange County Sheriff’s Department K-9 team, assisted in apprehending Brant after police filled the home with tear gas.
“We appreciate the public’s cooperation in avoiding the area and neighbors who stayed inside their homes as requested,” Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert said in a press release. “Thank you to our partner agencies including our joint S.W.A.T team members and K-9 teams who worked together to safely take this suspect into custody and protect the surrounding neighborhood and public.”
Brant has a lengthy criminal history in Orange County, according to court records.
In November 2020, he pled guilty to felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, making criminal threats, and joyriding. He was still serving two years of formal probation at the time of his arrest Tuesday. He was held for 188 days in Orange County jail and ordered to pay restitution in this case.
Brant pled guilty to the manufacture, sale, or possession of an unconventional pistol and carrying a switchblade in July 2018. He also pled guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in 2009.
