A Whittier man who fired at a law enforcement officer and an unmanned police drone during a more than eight-hour standoff at a Costa Mesa building was sentenced Tuesday to 36 years and four months in prison, court records show.
Luis Mendez Jr., 51, was convicted earlier this year of assault with a deadly weapon against a special agent, among other charges, for firing at, but not hitting, a state bureau of firearm agent during the Oct. 5, 2022 standoff in the 1700 block of Monrovia Avenue.
Prosecutors in a sentencing brief wrote that agents were checking on firearms the had been registered at the address for a residence and business used by Mendez despite his being barred from owning such weapons due to a 2017 domestic violence conviction.
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Prosecutors wrote that Mendez shot at an agent with a .308 round from a rifle while the agent was preparing to breach a door after Mendez ignored law enforcement attempts to identify themselves.
Mendez later fired three rounds from a shotgun at a drone, according to court filings.
At one point during the standoff, Mendez texted a friend “I had to fire in legitimate defense,” according to a probation report. He surrendered after authorities used tear gas to get him out of the building.
Law enforcement officials recovered a rifle, a shotgun and multiple handguns. No injuries were reported.
A defense attorney, in their own sentencing brief, asked the judge for a lesser sentence of 8 years in prison.
The defense wrote that there was no evidence that Mendez intended to hit anyone and noted he had more firepower at his disposal that he did not use during the standoff.
