San Bernardino Man Recounts Police Shootout With 2 Terrorists Outside His Home 6 Months Later
SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — San Bernardino Avenue is a busy street with a haunted past. It is the scene of the final shootout between police and two terrorists, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, on Dec. 2.
Nathan Hernandez lives on San Bernardino Avenue. "You never know what's going to happen, and it really reminds you that don't take it for granted."
Hernandez lives in the house in front of where that final confrontation took place. He was home that day and heard every shot. Many whizzed by his windows. Some hit the trailer in his driveway. He still remembers vividly the sights and sounds of that day.
"Your mind does go: 'Wait, are they going to come and ambush the house? Am I going to get caught in between the crossfire? Am I going to be held hostage or are they hiding in my backyard?' And for me, it was just to get in a place where I wasn't putting myself at risk," Hernandez recalled.
Bullet holes in walls are among the reminders neighbors said they will never forget.
Police fired more than 300 rounds at the husband and wife, who slaughtered 14 people at the Inland Regional Center.
Many of those shots pierced the ground, tearing up the pavement. It has since been replaced. The places where the terrorists were killed have also been covered up.
But Hernandez's father said the emotions from that day were still fresh. "He calls me, and you could hear in his voice. He was scared. You could hear him almost hyperventilating, not sure what to do," Ruben Hernandez recalled.
The Hernandez family said they can't believe six months have passed. The memories of bloodshed and fear still hit too close to home.
