(Seguin) — More details on Friday’s standoff with the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office are being released to the public.
Sheriff’s Investigators say on Friday at approximately 5:45 PM, a 9-1-1 disconnect call came in to the Guadalupe County Dispatch Center from a residence in the 100 Blk of Agua Verde in the Las Brisas Subdivision. A deputy was dispatched to the location to conduct a welfare check on the resident and confirm if there was an emergency at the location.
During the response it was found that the address in question was the location of a previous felony assault family violence call earlier in the day where the actor was unable to be located. After a call back to the number — a sheriff’s dispatcher was told that the man, identified as 41-year-old Ryan Stephens had returned to the residence and was now threatening suicide. Prior to the arrival of the deputy the actor again left the location and a vehicle description was provided by the complainant.
The deputy who was responding to the original call located Stephen’s vehicle parked in an alley in the 200 blk of Las Brisas Boulevard and he and his partner (they were working as a two man unit) approached the actor and attempted to detain him. Due to the nature of the call and information gathered from the earlier assault call the deputies conducted a high risk stop on the actor and requested he exit the vehicle and show his hands. Stephen’s reportedly was non-compliant and refused to exit the vehicle and further resisted their efforts by locking the door to the vehicle so they could not remove him. He refused multiple commands to show his hands and exit the vehicle and a less lethal pepper gun was deployed on Stephens having little to no effect. As the first deputy attempted to deploy a second shot from the pepper gun, Stephens allegdly put the vehicle in gear and began to take off.
Stephens drove into the direction of both deputies as they attempted to retreat to a safe location away from the moving vehicle. Both deputies, fearing for their safety from the driver of the vehicle, then fired several rounds from their duty weapons as Stephens drove towards them in a dangerous manner. As he fled the location, he went through a privacy fence and then exited striking the deputies marked patrol unit due his dangerous and erratic driving.
Stephens was then pursued to the residence at Agua Verde where additional deputies assisted by a Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper and Deputy Constable from Precinct 4 then set up a perimeter on the residence. The Guadalupe County Combined SWAT and Negotiations Teams were notified and responded to the location. After several hours of negotiation, Stephens exited the residence and was taken into custody without incident. He was found to have only suffered a minor injury to his hand from the initial deployment from the pepper gun. He was not struck by any of the rounds fired by the deputies.
Stephens was transported to the Guadalupe Regional Medical Center where he was cleared by medical staff prior to being transported to the Guadalupe County Jail.
As reported earlier, Stephens was booked for one count of Aggravated Assault Public Servant with a Deadly Weapon and Assault Fam/House Mem Impede Breath Circulation. He is being held on bonds totaling $30,000.00. Additional charges related to this incident are pending.
Neither deputy was injured during the incident and both have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation being conducted by the Texas Rangers and GCSO.