The Monterey County Sheriff’s deputy who was shot in a nine-hour standoff with an armed man in Salinas last week was released from the hospital over the weekend and is now recovering at home.
On May 31, Deputy Jesse Grant was shot in the arm and side as he and other deputies were attempting to serve an eviction notice to Erin Howard Fischer, 67, at his Sun Street home.
During a nine-hour standoff between Fischer and scores of law officials from numerous agencies, Fischer shot down seven police drones and he continued firing at officers from his upstairs apartment.
The episode ended when Fischer was shot and killed by a Monterey deputy.
“We wanted Deputy Grant to know how proud we are of him and that we are all here to support him,” Undersheriff Keith Boyd said.
Fischer has a track record dotting the map over two decades. In May 2013, in a similar situation, Santa Cruz County deputies were on their way to his Corralitos home to serve an eviction notice to Fischer. En route, deputies spotted him driving a Mercedes sedan.
Sgt. Mike MacDonald said deputies got help from Watsonville Police in conducting a high-risk car stop the Mercedes on Freedom Boulevard in Corralitos. Fischer was arrested for being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm.
Investigators had been keeping a watch on Fischer and his property for several days because they had information that he was reportedly terrorizing his neighborhood. Deputies were hoping to stop Fischer as he departed his property as they feared his property might be rigged with explosives. Fischer had been arrested in 2001 for having explosives.
During the car stop in Corralitos, deputies found a loaded Ruger .44 revolver in his car. MacDonald described it as a “cowboy-style weapon.”
Following his arrest, investigators served a search warrant at Fischer’s residence on the 200 block of Upper Highlands Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Corralitos. Deputies discovered a large amount of large caliber ammunition and a rifle.
Fischer had previous charges of having a loaded firearm in a public place, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of explosives. MacDonald added that Fischer “lived like a survivalist.”
Deputies added that Fischer had ranted out loud around his neighborhood about his history in the military, weapons and explosives.
