An off-duty sheriff's deputy is under investigation for allegedly firing a gun on the crowded Redondo Beach pier during an argument with his girlfriend.
Randy Barragan, 25, of Corona was arrested shortly after 7 p.m. May 24 on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Redondo Beach police Sgt. Shawn Freeman said Tuesday.
The shooting and disturbance caused about 100 people to scatter "in a state of panic" from the horseshoe pier, Freeman said.
According to police, Barragan and his girlfriend, Diana Claudette Rubio, 23, also of Corona, had been drinking at El Torito and eating at Capt. Kidd's restaurant before becoming involved in a dispute on the pier.
Witnesses told police they believed Barragan was suicidal because he had climbed over the pier's east railing and was standing on a ledge, Freeman said.
"People are thinking this guy is jumping off the pier," Freeman said.
As officers made their way to the pier, witnesses saw Barragan pull a .38-caliber revolver from his
waistband and begin waving it as he hung on the railing, Freeman said.
Rubio yelled at him to put the gun down, but Barragan fired one shot. Freeman said it was unclear where he pointed the gun.
Rubio then knocked the gun out of his hand. It fell behind him onto the pier, prompting Barragan to climb back over the railing and try to get to it.
"That's when the citizens took action," Freeman said.
A group of fishermen tackled the 6-foot, 180 pound Barragan before he could grab the gun.
They held Barragan down until Redondo Beach police Sgt. Jim Banach, who heard the shot as he ran along the pier, arrived to handcuff him.
Barragan was taken to the Redondo Beach jail. He posted $50,000 bail and was released about six hours later.
Rubio, described as "too drunk for her safety," was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication, Freeman said.....
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