BROTHERS ARRESTED AT WAL-MART ONE OF PAIR BRANDISHEDS HANDGUN INSIDE STORE, DEPUTIES SAY.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- Two Lancaster brothers who appeared to be under the influence of drugs were arrested in a Wal-Mart store on Christmas Eve after one brandished a gun pulled from his waistband, officials said.

A store employee coaxed the man to surrender the 9mm pistol after the suspects made threats.

``He pulled a gun out and told everybody to get away or he would shoot,'' sheriff's Sgt. Vince Carter said. ``One of the store employees convinced him to put the gun down or give the gun to his wife, who later put the gun down.''

Deputies identified the gun-wielding suspect as Jesus Vences Ortiz, 33. Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed loaded weapon, possession of narcotics and being under the influence of narcotics. Ortiz was thought to be carrying methamphetamine, Lt. Larry Gregg said.

Ortiz's brother, Lorenzo Vences, 23, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of narcotics.

Sheriffs received ``numerous'' frantic calls within minutes advising there was a man with a gun in the Wal-Mart Supercenter store at 10th Street West.

Fifteen deputies from the Palmdale and Lancaster stations who descended on the store about 5:15a.m. evacuated shoppers and employees and took the suspects into custody roughly 25 minutes later. No one was harmed.

Despite the early hour, a few shoppers and many employees were in the store at 40130 10th St. West, which was open 24 hours a day the weekend before Christmas.

Ortiz's wife, who sheriffs declined to identify, and another unidentified adult man who accompanied the suspects into the store were not arrested.

Ortiz was being held at the Palmdale jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Gregg said Vences had attempted to kick out the window of the patrol car when he was detained inside, and later, at the Palmdale jail, Vences tried to escape by throwing juice into the eyes of a jailer and running from his cell.

``He quickly learned the security of the Palmdale jail,'' Gregg said.

Vences was held on suspicion of battery on a custodial officer and attempted escape and transported to the Twin Towers in downtown Los Angeles. His bail was set at $2,500.

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