By Greg Welter
Chico Enterprise-Record
WILLOWS, Calif. — A Willows man is at Glenn Medical Center under double guard today after allegedly threatening Wednesday morning to kill a Willows woman and harm police with an explosive device, while high on methamphetamine.
For authorities to take the man into custody, ending a tense 30-minute stand-off, they had to subdue him with two bean bag rounds, pepper spray bullets and a Taser stun gun.
Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones said the strange incident began when the suspect, Timothy J. Gurule, 44, called the 44-year-old woman early Wednesday morning, then shortly before 10 a.m. showed up at her home in the 500 block of Fourth Street in northwest Willows, armed with knives and a hammer.
She retreated inside her house, locked the door, and called 9-1-1.
When a Willows officer and a Glenn deputy arrived, they found Gurule allegedly attempting to pry open the woman’s door with a claw hammer and reportedly yelling he was going to kill her. He had already broken windows in the home, attacked her car with the hammer, and slashed tires on several cars nearby.
Gurule fled but was spotted moments later outside his home in the 400 block of Garden Street. The first officer on the scene said he was waving a small propane tank wildly above his head.
A Willows officer and Sheriff Jones held the man at gunpoint as other officers arrived.
Jones said the man’s pants pockets and waistband were jammed with knives. He was holding some knives in one hand, and a hammer.
The tank he held in his other hand had an ignition device attached to it and was wrapped in a gasoline soaked rag.
Jones said he was determined not to let Gurule retreat into the home, where innocent members of his family had taken shelter. He also ordered several streets in the area shut down, with residents advised to shelter in place.
After several minutes of talking with Gurule, during which he put down some of the knives, authorities became convinced he wasn’t going to surrender. He reportedly continued to threaten to blow up the tank he was holding.
Jones had called for a shotgun to be brought to the scene loaded with bean bag rounds. A deputy fired at Gurule and hit him twice. Jones said the suspect staggered backwards, but didn’t fall.
From his expression, Jones said he believed the man thought he had been shot with bullets.
Willows Police Chief Bill Spears next fired pepper spray rounds at the man, surrounding him in a cloud that should have incapacitated him, but didn’t.
The suspect allegedly continued to resist and a Glenn County detective hit Gurule with a Taser round before a swarm of officers could move in and take him into custody.
Jones said Gurule is a large man nicknamed “Bear.”
Jones said the victim appeared to have been picked completely at random. He said the two knew each other years ago when she managed a local apartment community, but hadn’t seen him in years.
Gurule is a convicted felon, Jones said. He believes Gurule recently burglarized a local residence, where he obtained several of the knives.
A search of his residence turned up a second explosive device, a Molotov cocktail, which the suspect reportedly had ready to use.
About a month ago, Jones had to shelve his K-9 program due to budget cuts. “Ironically,” he said “a police dog could have ended this stand-off before it got started.”
After he is medically cleared, Jones said Gurule will be booked into the Glenn County Jail in Willows on suspicion of attempted murder, making terrorist threats, multiple attempts to assault officers, possession of explosive devices and burglary.
A man who was with Gurule but didn’t participate in the violence, was also arrested. Johnnie Vivian Penn, 46, of Willows, was found in possession of drugs and was wanted on a warrant. Jones said Penn has 10 aliases and was found in possession of three drivers’ licenses under different names.
Although the ordeal lasted only 30 minutes, Jones said officers from the Probation Department, Glenn Narcotics Task Force agents, several deputies and two Willows officers were on hand when it ended.
The Glenn County Arson and Bomb Task Force arrived to clean up the propane tank.
Jones said three crime scenes were involved and are being investigated.
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