Dismissed Teacher Arrested in Shoot-Out : Surrenders to Deputies After Incident at His Mission Viejo Home

A recently fired El Toro High School math teacher was arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder an Orange County sheriff’s investigator during a brief shoot-out at the man’s Mission Viejo home, authorities said Tuesday.

Sheriff’s spokesman Dick Olson said four officers went to the home of Ronald Charles Sklar Monday night with an arrest warrant charging him with carrying a concealed weapon after he allegedly stormed into the Saddleback Unified School District office Monday afternoon, displayed a pistol and demanded to speak with a school board member about his termination.

Sklar, 42, was being held on $250,000 bail at Orange County Jail and was to be arraigned on the attempted murder charges today in South Orange County Municipal Court, Olson said.

A high school math teacher for more than 14 years, Sklar reportedly fired several rounds through a front window at the four officers, but hit none, Olson said. A sheriff’s sergeant fired two rounds at Sklar before the deputies took cover, Olson said. Sklar, who surrendered shortly after, was not injured.

Glass from the shattered window struck sheriff’s investigator Frank Small in the face, Olson said. Small was treated at Mission Community Hospital and released.

According to Ken Anderson, Saddleback’s associate superintendent in charge of personnel, Sklar was officially terminated by the district on Jan. 16.

He said Sklar had been transferred last September to another district campus, Laguna Hills High School.

Anderson said he could not comment on why Sklar was transferred other than to say Sklar had agreed to change jobs. He declined to say why Sklar was fired, other than that criminal charges were not involved.

Olson said Sklar entered the Mission Viejo school board offices and demanded to see board members about his firing.

“He was disgruntled and he . . . was making verbal threats to someone in the office,” Olson said. “It was noticed he was carrying a concealed weapon in a shoulder holster.” School board officials reported the incident to sheriff’s deputies, who obtained an arrest warrant charging Sklar with carrying a concealed weapon.

When the investigator and deputies arrived at Sklar’s home about 9 p.m., Olson said, they saw Sklar through a front window and identified themselves.

Sklar allegedly fired through the front window at the officers, who called a SWAT team to the scene. Olson said Sklar surrendered without further incident a short time later.