Shooting reported near US Coast Guard housing in Novato; suspect sought

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FILE - Blue lights shine on a patrol car of the state police. (Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images)

NOVATO, Calif. - Novato police are searching for a suspect connected to a shooting that was reported on Thursday at a U.S. Coast Guard housing area.

Novato Police Department officers were sent about 6:30 p.m. to the US Coast Guard Housing near South Oakwood Drive on reports of the shooting and met with armed security guards at the site who reported they saw a man trespassing in the area, according to a department statement.

The guards said they tried to detain the man, but he ran and they chased him on foot.

"During the chase, the guards heard what sounded like gunshots, south of the sports courts on Crescent Drive," according to the NPD.

The security guards eventually stopped chasing the man and contacted the police department. One of the guards fell during the pursuit and was checked by medics for injuries, but he did not require further treatment.

NPD officers learned the man was last seen running back into the US Coast Guard Housing area, and conducted a search of the area and of nearby neighborhoods with the help of a canine trained to detect firearms. However, authorities did not find the suspect nor any trace of a gun.

A search for the suspect is ongoing, and the NPD asked anyone who might live in the area surrounding the US Coast Guard Housing to check their surveillance footage from the night of the incident and contact the department at 415-897-1122.