Homeless man shot by the police at Santa Ana’s Plaza of the Flags

BREAKING NEWS – Richard Gene Swihart, a 32-year-old homeless man, has been shot by an SAPD police officer, at Santa Ana’s Plaza of the Flags, at the Civic Center. The man was hit in the upper torso and was undergoing surgery, according to the O.C. Register.

The O.C. Register has confirmed that the shooting was by an SAPD police officer, outside the courthouse. 

No officers were injured in the shooting, according to ABC News.

The homeless man was shot for refusing to surrender his personal property while police were confiscating personal property from the homeless at Civic Center, according to community activist Igmar Rodas, who also reported that, according to a witness, “Cops tried to bring him down and guy tried to reach for the officer’s gun. The cops backed off and fired two shots at him.”

The O.C. Sheriff’s Department has jurisdiction at the Courthouse. There has been a lot of talk of late about the danger posed by the homeless to the judges and others who do business at the Courthouse.

Reportedly all the homeless people in the area have been moved out of the plaza and it looks like they blocked all access to the courthouse in the back.

Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.
Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

View Comments

  • What most people don't know that a large percentage of the homeless in the civic center are sex offenders, parolees, probationers......most of the so called "mentally ill" is a result of drug usage. If you are a female employee walking through there you will be scare to death......you can also add the feces and urine smell.....This is an embarrassment to the city and county. They keep coming to the cc because they know that churches from Irvine and other cities come to provide food like 4 times a day......they get free haircuts..oh yes and pizza on Thursdays!!!!! So why leave? Why don't these churches feed them at their churches parking lot in Irvine or at their own civic center?

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