A 50-year-old man committed suicide on Dec. 29 when law enforcement officers attempted to serve him a warrant as part of a hostage investigation.
The day before, Michael Owen held his ex-girlfriend against her will in his Paso Robles home, officials said. The anonymous victim had gone to his home to collect her personal belongings.
For about seven hours, Owen assaulted and threatened to kill his 45-year-old ex-girlfriend and himself, according to police reports. When she attempted to escape, Owen shot at her with a high-powered rifle.
“Firing the rifle in her direction was an assault with a deadly weapon,� said Sergeant Brian Hascall of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department. “She was successful on her second attempt to escape; she left in her car.�
For over two hours the next day, the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail and sheriff detectives attempted to serve Owen with a warrant. Negotiators tried to communicate with Owen using a loudspeaker and telephone.
At approximately 10:50 p.m., law enforcement officers heard a gunshot from inside the home. Police found Owen on the second floor of his home, the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
—K.V.
Hostage incident ends in suicide
