NEWPORT BEACH (CNS) - Felony charges were filed today against a 71-year-old veterinarian accused of firing a gun inside his Newport Beach home and holding police at bay for three hours.
Edgar Moore Church III is charged with single counts of assault with a firearm, assault with a weapon on a peace officer and resisting arrest, along with a misdemeanor count of disobeying a domestic relations court order. He also faces sentencing enhancements for the personal use of a gun.
Church pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana. His next court date is a pretrial hearing on Friday at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.
Police were called to the 2200 block of Tustin Avenue about 5 p.m. Saturday to respond to a report of a shots fired and a suspect barricaded in his home, according to Heather Rangel of the Newport Beach Police Department.
Police negotiated his surrender for three hours before Church came out of the residence, Rangel said.
Church was being held without bail, according to jail records.
Photo: Getty Images