Man accused of threatening to blow up Porterville apartment, police say

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A man who is accused of threatening to blow up his apartment in Porterville after he intentionally turned on the gas was arrested Tuesday, police said.

Officers arrested 46-year-old Seth Eli McMullen of Porterville.

On Tuesday, Sept. 2, at around 12:20 p.m., officers, along with the fire department, responded to the 500 block of South Main Street.

When officers arrived on scene, they detected a strong odor of natural gas emitting from the apartment of McMullen. Officers said they contacted him and that he was highly agitated.

Police said that while they were talking to him, he held a lighter in his hand and threatened the lives of emergency personnel.

Officers said that he told them that he had a shotgun; he then held up the gun’s round, which hindered their ability to de-escalate the situation.

Police evacuated nearby residences out of caution. The fire department was able to turn off the gas valve to the complex.

The police’s special weapons and tactics team and crisis response team were also deployed.

After two hours of negotiations with the response team, McMullen peacefully surrendered.

The apartment was rendered safe by the SWAT team and residents of the apartment were able to return to their units.

Police said that during a search warrant, detectives located a homemade shotgun and ammunition concealed where he was standing as he spoke to the crisis team.

McMullen was booked into the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office South County Detention Facility and is facing multiple charges.