A Redondo Beach police officer who approached a homeless man about sleeping in bushes thought the belligerent man was reaching for nunchucks, until the officer was looking down the double-barrel of the man’s homemade shotgun, officials said.
Alfredo Hernandez, 39, was arrested and charged with attempted murder after pointing the loaded weapon at the officer, according to the Redondo Beach Police Department.
The officer had been called about 7 p.m. Monday to the 200 block of Carnegie Lane, where he got into a confrontation with Hernandez.
According to detectives, the transient reached into his clothing and pulled out a 12-gauge zip gun, which had been made with a pair of 11-inch pipes that were bound with electrical tape.
The officer responded by using a stun gun on Hernandez, but the suspect continued to hold onto the weapon, police said.
When the officer’s backup arrived, Hernandez dropped the weapon and ran off, but was eventually arrested.
Police said the weapon could be fired by pulling back on a block of wood that would cause a nail to strike the back of the shotgun shell. One barrel had a live round inside, while the other had a shell that had been used, police said.
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The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office filed the attempted murder charge against Hernandez, police said.
Hernandez, whose last known address was in Harbor City, was being held on $1.07 million bail. He was set to be arraigned Wednesday.
