Police Hold Man After Gunfire Hits Station

A Pacoima man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of firing a shotgun at the San Fernando police station, police said.

John Michael Whitmer, 34, is being held in San Fernando City Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, Detective Ernie Halcon said. Police said he expressed frustration with the Internal Revenue Service, his ex-wife and the police after his arrest. His arraignment is tentatively set for Thursday, Halcon said.

A few minutes before the Sunday shooting, Whitmer had spoken with a police dispatcher at the station, became angry and made threatening statements before leaving, Halcon said.

“He drove around the police station a couple of times, and, when he didn’t see anybody, he fired a shot at it,” Halcon said. “He said he didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”

Shotgun pellets hit the brick wall outside the station and put a hole in the front window, but the dispatcher and a sergeant inside were protected by a bullet-proof glass partition, Halcon said.

Police took Whitmer in for questioning after spotting him driving about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Halcon said. Police later recovered a shotgun and ammunition in a room that Whitmer rented in a mobile home just outside the city, Halcon said.