Clearlake >> One man was shot and an officer injured during an armed hostage incident Thursday morning.
Brendan Fanucchi was flown out to an out-of-county hospital for treatment of an apparent gunshot wound he sustained during a confrontation with police. The 25-year-old Clearlake resident was allegedly holding two women captive with a gun inside an attached garage, according to Lt. Tim Celli.
Central dispatch received a call just after 8 a.m. from an anonymous man who said he heard a woman yelling for someone to “put the gun down” at a home on the 16050 block of 18th Avenue.
Officers cleared the home of any additional occupants, however, Fanucchi reportedly refused to let one woman go, while threatening to kill her, Celli stated. Scanner reports also indicated that Fanucchi struck one of his hostages in the face with his pistol.
He warned officers not to come inside the garage, and law enforcement personnel on scene pleaded with the suspect for a lengthy period to release the hostages, Celli stated. At some point during the confrontation with the suspect, it was apparent that there was an imminent threat to the captive woman’s life and officers entered the garage. At that time, shots were fired.
It was unknown what Fanucchi’s condition was at press time. An officer on scene suffered a minor injury not related to gunshots, Celli stated.
The Lake County District Attorney’s Office has assumed the investigation of the officer involved shooting. Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to either call detective Mark Barnes at Clearlake Police Department at 994-8251 or the Lake County District Attorney’s Office at 263-2251.
