No One Hurt: A Man with a Sawed-Off Shotgun Arrested at Home Depot
Photo: Dryden’s confiscated gun
MARTINEZ — Police confiscated a sawed-off shotgun and arrested a man inside a Home Depot store on August 29th. Customers and staff had to be evacuated but fortunately no one was injured.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m., multiple officers responded to the Home Depot located at 1037 Arnold Avenue. A passing motorist had phoned police to report seeing a man pointing a gun at a woman in the parking lot.
While officers were questioning the victim, the suspect was spotted riding a bicycle into the store. He was seen carrying a duffel bag with him, which was later recovered as evidence.
Police surrounded the store and began evacuating it. As everyone was rushing to get outside, the suspect also attempted to ride his bike outside the store.
A customer and store employee blocked him from leaving, at which point he allegedly threw the bike at them. He turned and ran, leading officers in hot pursuit through the store.
Soon afterward, officers tacked the suspect identified as James Lee Dryden, a 33-year-old resident of Martinez. He was familiar to authorities due to his prior probationary status.
Officers later located the duffel bag inside the store, and inside that duffel bag they found a sawed-off shotgun. It was loaded.
Dryden remains in custody at the West County Detention Facility. He is presently not bondable.
Dryden is due to appear in court on September 16 for a preliminary hearing. His charges include assault likely to cause great bodily injury. In addition, he faces several weapons related charges.
