Aptos standoff over, shooting suspect in custody
APTOS, Calif. (BCN) - The suspect in a shooting Wednesday night stemming from an apparent dispute in Aptos is in custody early this afternoon after a standoff of more than 17 hours with Santa Cruz County sheriff's deputies.
Ralph Millar, 57, was taken into custody late this morning, ending a standoff that began shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday, when Millar allegedly broke into a neighbor's home in the 100 block of Santa Cruz Avenue in the unincorporated Aptos community.
Sheriff's Sgt. Cesar Ramirez said Millar is suspected of shooting at two women in the house, striking one of them. That woman was flown to a trauma center and was listed in stable condition this morning.
The other woman was also injured, though she wasn't shot, Ramirez said. It wasn't certain today exactly how the second woman was injured, he said. She was treated for her minor injury and later released.
Millar returned to his nearby home after the shootings, and remained there through the night as sheriff's SWAT and crisis negotiation teams were in regular contact for most of the 17-plus-hour standoff.