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Son of Barney Creator Arrested in Attempted Murder Case

In a report from The Acorn, deputies in the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station have arrested a man from Agoura Hills in connection with an attempted murder from Wednesday, January 9 in Malibu.

The man charged in the shooting is Patrick Leach, from Malibu. Leach is the son of Sheryl Leach, the creator of “Barney & Friends.” Leach is now free on $1 million bail.

Police were called to the 27000 block of West Winding Way in Malibu for reports of gunshots. When they arrived, the police discovered a 49-year-old man, from Malibu, sitting on the ground with a gunshot wound in his chest. The man’s identity has not been released by authorities.

Deputies were told by a witness that he noticed a man leaving the neighborhood inside a black sports utility vehicle the same morning the shooting occurred. The Lost Hills police station was called by other residents of the area to provide added info about the suspect, according to Sgt. Hugo Mosquero.

Deputies saw a vehicle that matched the description of the witness later in the same day on Kanan Road south of Cornell Road in Agoura Hills. The officers conducted a traffic stop and evidence was taken from Leach’s vehicle and he was arrested as a suspect in the attempted murder case.

No motive for the shooting has been announced, but the investigation is ongoing by detectives, according to Mosquero.

“These people are neighbors. Everybody here did an outstanding job,” Mosquero said of the residents who reported what they saw.

Mosquero told The Acorn that the victim is expected to recover and was treated at UCLA Medical Center. “The suspect (was) in custody and we’re lucky that nobody else was hurt,” the deputy said.

Jim Vassallo: Jim is a freelance writer based out of the suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Journalism from Rowan University in 2008. While in school he was the Assistant Sports Director at WGLS for two years and the Sports Director for one year. He also covered the football, baseball, softball and both basketball teams for the school newspaper 'The Whit.' Jim lives in New Jersey with his wife Nicole, son Tony and dog Phoebe.

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