Homeowner fires handgun at man after trespassing incident in Soledad

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a trespassing incident that occurred Thursday afternoon in rural Soledad. The incident ended with a homeowner firing his handgun and the suspect heading to a hospital for mental evaluation.

Shortly before 3 p.m., a homeowner on Ramus Road off Highway 146 called 911 to report a suspicious person, now identified by deputies as Sean Patrick Canavan of Marina.

According to Investigating Deputy Jon Luther, the homeowner, Paul Sullivan, “began to fear for his safety due to Canavan’s irrational behavior, running at Sullivan and waving his arms at him.”

Deputy Luther said Sullivan reportedly told Canavan to stop and challenged him with a handgun. That’s when Canavan reportedly complied and the situation began to calm down, allowing Sullivan to call 911.

While Sullivan was speaking to the 911 dispatcher, Canavan allegedly jumped up and took a fighting stance and began to run at Sullivan again, said deputies. Sullivan ultimately discharged one round from his handgun, which missed hitting Canavan.

Luther said in a news release that Canavan then ran from the home, chased by Sullivan, and was taken into custody by arriving deputies.

Canavan was determined to be a danger to himself and/or others.

He was then transported to Natividad Medical Center for a mental evaluation.