The inspiration behind the children’s TV puppet ‘Barney’ has been arrested in the exclusive Californian region of Malibu on suspicion of attempted murder.
Patrick Leach (27), who as a child inspired his mother to create the purple dinosaur character, was arrested on January 9th for allegedly shooting his 49-year-old neighbour Eric Shanks in the chest with a shotgun in what local police say was a "trespassing issue".
Mr Leach fled the scene of the shooting still armed, but a spokesman for the Los Angeles County sheriff said he was later apprehended "without incident" and later released on $1 million bail.
"Look, he comes from big money, so he was able to post that kind of bail the same day he was arrested," an investigating officer told the Malibu Times.
Mr Leach's mother, Sheryl, created 'Barney the Friendly Dinosaur' in 1987 and claimed her son's interests in the creatures was her inspiration. The show first aired in 1992, with the last episode made in 2010, and became a worldwide hit with young children.