Deputy-involved shootout prompts standoff in Pauma Valley

PAUMA VALLEY - A rural community near Pauma Casino was the scene of a law enforcement shootout and subsequent hours-long standoff on Thursday, Dec. 20 after deputies were ambushed by gunfire at the hands of an unidentified assailant, authorities reported.

No law enforcement personnel were wounded in the late-afternoon exchange of gunfire in the 15600 block of Adams Drive in Pauma Valley, and it was unclear if anyone else -- including the person who shot at the deputies -- had been injured.

The patrol deputies were looking into a report of "unknown trouble'' at a home in the back-country neighborhood in northeastern San Diego County when someone inside the residence began shooting at them shortly after 4 p.m., sheriff's Lt. Karla Menzies said.

The personnel fired back while retreating to safety and called for backup, Menzies said. A SWAT team was dispatched to the scene to take up positions around the home where the shooter possibly was holed up.

The name of the assailant was unknown, and details about what prompted someone to call in deputies to the neighborhood were unavailable.

Sheriff's officials advised the public to remain clear of the area and asked residents near the site of the shooting to remain in their homes.

The sheriff's department reported about 7:30 p.m. that all neighbors were believed to have been evacuated.

The standoff was ongoing in the early evening and deputies would likely be at the scene "for many more hours,'' according to a tweet from the sheriff's Valley Center Substation.