Napa man arrested after shots fired at police in downtown park

A 28-year-old Napa man was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of shooting at officers in a popular downtown Napa park, police said.

Dario Mundo Perez is suspected of five counts of attempted murder of police officers as well as being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, the Napa Police Department said in a news release.

The incident began Thursday afternoon, when Perez called 911 three times in an attempt to reach specific police officers, who were not available, police said. Around 5:20 p.m., he called police again to report that he’d found an AR-15 rifle in the grass at the city of Napa’s Veterans Memorial Park.

As officers were arriving at the Main Street park, bystanders concerned about Perez’s behavior were calling police, including one person who believed Perez may have fired a gun.

Lt. Brian Campagna said shots were fired before police arrived, but he declined to say how many or provide further details. No one was injured and no property was damaged, he said.

As bystanders moved away from the area, officers attempted to calm Perez, who they recognized from prior calls for service, police said.

Perez, who didn’t appear to have a rifle, moved to a lower concrete area as he yelled at officers and became increasingly hostile and threatening, police said. He then moved aggressively toward police, telling officers he had a handgun as he reached into his waistband.

Two officers fired an undisclosed number of bean bag rounds at Perez, who then pulled out a small-caliber semi-automatic handgun and fired a round at police, officials said. No officers or bystanders were hurt in the gunfire. No property was found to be damaged, but officers are still investigating, Campagna said.

Officers tackled Perez, who was hit by “multiple” bean bag rounds, and took him into custody. He was transported to Queen of the Valley Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries and then booked into the Napa County jail.

Police didn’t find a rifle at the park and don’t believe Perez was in possession of one. Officers recovered the handgun Perez fired and are trying to figure out who owns it.

Perez did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol, though officers are investigating whether drugs were a factor in the incident, Campagna said. He declined to comment on a potential motive, or provide details about what Perez was yelling. He declined to release information about the officers who fired beanbags.

Six officers were on scene during the incident, and five were threatened by Perez’s shots, Campagna said. Officers were not wearing body cameras.

“We’re grateful that none of our officers were injured, we’re grateful that no member of the public was injured and we’re grateful that Mr. Perez still has his life,” Campagna said.

The park was closed until at least 1 a.m. as police investigated, he said.

Campagna declined to comment on Perez’s history with law enforcement. A spokesperson for the Napa County District Attorney’s Office could not be reached Friday.

Perez’s criminal record includes being sentenced in 2010 to six years in prison after pleading no contest to a felony of assault with a semi-automatic rifle, according to court records. A two-year sentence enhancement was levied for involvement with a criminal street gangs, records show.

Anyone with video of the incident or other information is asked to contact Detective Pete Piersig at 707-257-9514 or ppiersig@cityofnapa.org.

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.