San Fernando man arrested for shooting five people and firing at LAPD helicopter

A San Fernando man was arrested for allegedly shooting five people and firing at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter during a lengthy standoff over the weekend.

According to a statement from the San Fernando Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 900 block of Orange Grove Avenue around 11:20 p.m. Saturday after learning there were multiple gunshot victims at a home in the area.

“When officers arrived at the scene, they initially discovered four gunshot victims inside a residence,” the statement said. “A fifth victim was later found at the hospital and was determined to have driven himself.”

Nothing is immediately known about the victim’s condition.

The suspect, identified as 61-year-old Martin Rodriguez, was found in a home near where the shooting occurred, police said.

He barricaded himself in his home, which led to a lengthy standoff with officers, the statement said.

According to investigators, at some point during the standoff, the suspect fired shots at the Los Angeles Police Department helicopter that was assisting in the investigation.

In addition to SFPD officers, officers from the Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Los Angeles police departments, as well as officers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, assisted in the efforts that ultimately led to Rodriguez’s arrest.

He was charged with seven counts of attempted murder, one count of criminal threat, one count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and one count of shooting at an aircraft, police said.

His bail was set at $9.8 million.

A motive for the incident has not yet been disclosed.