A short standoff in Rancho Santa Fe early Saturday ended with a man being shot by deputies after he stabbed a K9 and forced his way into a man's apartment, taking him hostage.
Deputies with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) Encinitas Station were called to 6012 Paseo Delicias at Via de Santa Fe shortly before 5:30 a.m. to investigate a disturbance in the area. SDSO Lt. Kenneth Nelson said the caller told deputies a man was yelling in the street and possibly slamming or breaking things.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered a man, armed with knife, making loud noises near a staircase on the street. That man has now been identified by officials as Edward Ray Nett, 50.
Deputies approached Nett, ordering him to drop the knife. Nett yelled at deputies that he was going to stab them and refused to drop his weapon. Nelson said deputies deployed pepper balls at the suspect, to no avail.
Deputies deployed a K9. At that point, the SDSO said Nett struggled with the dog and stabbed the K9 under his left eye.
Nett then ran into an apartment complex behind a Wells Fargo bank in a commercial lot on Paseo Delicias.
He forced his way into an apartment and allegedly threatened a man living inside the home with a knife, taking him hostage.
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Deputies surrounded the apartment and a short standoff ensued.
Officials said the resident was able to run away from Nett by locking himself inside a bathroom in the apartment during the standoff.
Nett then began yelling that he had allegedly slit the hostage's throat, Nelson said.
Deputies tried to negotiate Nett's surrender. A short time later, the suspect walked out of the apartment and confronted the deputies with his knife.
Nelson said one of the deputies fired four rounds at Nett, wounding him and ending the standoff. Nett was taken to a local hospital just after 6 a.m. Nelson said he did not have an update on the suspect's condition.
No deputies, other than the K9, were hurt.
The resident of the apartment was found in the bathroom, unharmed, the SDSO confirmed.
Nelson said the wounded K9, whose name is Banjer, was taken to an animal hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Banjer is now resting comfortably and is expected to survive.
The SDSO later posted a photo of the wounded K9 on Twitter and added: "K9 Banjer received stitches for his wound. He will be on light duty and training as he recovers. To all our deputies, stay safe."
Nelson said deputies are in the early stages of the investigation but do not believe Nett knew the victim inside the apartment.
At 1:20 p.m., Nelson confirmed Nett is expected to recover from his shooting wounds. Once he’s released from the hospital, Nett will be booked into jail on multiple felony charges.
Nelson said Nett was on active parole at the time of the shooting, for violently resisting law enforcement officers in 2015. No further details were released.
NBC 7 spoke with some Rancho Santa Fe residents who heard the commotion in the typically quiet neighborhood.
Ed Hanley, who normally partakes in a Saturday morning car club in the area, said that when he arrived, he saw many deputies and crime scene tape blocking off the area.
He said the standoff and shooting all happened very quickly.
"It’s kind of unusual because this is kind of a quiet little town; there’s not much going on here,other than the car club on Saturday and people walking their dogs and stuff," Handley said. "It was kind of a shock when I drove up and saw all of the caution tape."
Hanley said he was saddened to hear about the wounded K9, adding, "That's terrible."
Two other longtime Rancho Santa Fe residents, Joanne Fishman and Barb Resnick, were walking their dogs in the area when they heard what had happened.
Fishman called the stabbing of the K9 simply "sick."
"It's tragic," she added. "We love our dogs and to think this could happen to one of our dogs -- or really any dog -- it's just horrifying. It's shocking."
"This just does not happen in our neighborhood," Resnick added. "It just does not happen."
As of 11 a.m., investigators remained at the scene. The SDSO said road closures would remain in effect until the investigation wrapped, including El Tordo, from La Granada to Avenida De Acacia, and Paseo Delicias from La Granada to Avenida De Acacia.
