Steven Foster, 65, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Photo provided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.A 65-year-old Hemet man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
On May 12 at 9:15 a.m., deputies assigned to the Hemet Sheriff’s Station responded to a mobile home located in the 42000 Block of State Highway 74 regarding a man who broke into a vacant mobile home at that location.
The suspect, identified as Steven Foster, was a former tenant of the same mobile home and had been recently evicted by the property owner. Foster threatened to be in possession of a firearm and was believed to be mentally unstable, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
When deputies arrived, they confirmed that a break-in had occurred, and Foster was still inside with a firearm. The sheriff’s SWAT team, Crisis Negotiation Team, and Community Behavioral Health Assessment Team were summoned o assist with de-escalating the situation.
During the negotiation, Foster fired his firearm toward the deputies striking a sheriff’s vehicle with several deputies nearby, the department reported. After an hours-long negotiation, Foster was taken into custody and brought to a local hospital for a medical evaluation.
No deputies or civilians were injured during the incident.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Investigator Bryan Jauert at the Hemet Sheriff’s Station at 951-791-3400.
