Son of 'Barney' co-creator arrested

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MALIBU, Calif., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Patrick Leach, son of a co-creator of the PBS children's program "Barney and Friends," was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in California, police said.

Leach, 27, of Malibu, Calif., was arrested Jan. 9 after he allegedly shot an unidentified neighbor in the chest with a large caliber weapon, Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Thursday.

Leach was later released on $1 million bail, a cause of concern for neighbors, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"We are certainly monitoring the situation. We are doing our very best to keep that individual and the neighborhood in our sights," Whitmore said.

The victim was hospitalized in critical condition and expected to recover, the Times reported Friday.

The shooting was over a trespassing issue, the Malibu Times said.

Leach, as a toddler, provided the inspiration for his mother Sheryl Leach's creation of Barney the Dinosaur, the New York Daily News said.