Laguna Beach resident arrested after six-hour standoff with authorities

A six-hour standoff Tuesday with law enforcement ended with a Laguna Beach resident being taken into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder.

Shaun Brant, 31, who authorities said is on formal probation, is accused of committing assault on his aunt. She reported the alleged incident involving her nephew at 10:20 a.m., police said.

Newport Beach SWAT team members escort suspect Shaun Brant, who barricaded himself in a home in South Laguna, after a standoff on Tuesday afternoon.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Authorities responded to a home in the 31000 block of 9th Avenue, and the woman was taken to a hospital after it was found she had suffered significant injuries.

Brant barricaded himself in the residence into the late afternoon hours, refusing to surrender to authorities, which included Laguna Beach police, a joint SWAT team formed with personnel from Laguna Beach and neighboring Newport Beach, and K-9 officers from the Laguna Beach police and Orange County Sheriff’s departments.

A Newport Beach SWAT team and Laguna Beach police officers watch over the scene as a barricaded suspect in a domestic violence case is extracted from a home in South Laguna Beach on Tuesday afternoon.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Police arrested Brant after tear gas was used at the home.

Laguna Beach police had put out a social media post detailing the police activity in the South Laguna neighborhood just after 3 p.m. Residents were asked to stay away from the area of 9th and 10th Avenues between Sunset Avenue and South Coast Highway. Some looked on from where authorities had marked off a perimeter.

“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 statement. “Thank you to our partner agencies, including our joint SWAT team members and K-9 teams, who worked together to safely take this suspect into custody and protect the surrounding neighborhood and public.”

Laguna Beach police watch over the scene as a joint Laguna Beach and Newport Beach SWAT team prepares to extract a barricaded suspect from a home in South Laguna Beach on Tuesday afternoon.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

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