UPDATED: La Verne man jailed after pursuit, 5-hour standoff


LA VERNE >> A La Verne man holed up inside his car with what turned out to be a realistic looking pellet gun for about five hours Friday, enduring multiple types of teargas and even a foam-spraying fire hose before a SWAT team pulled him from the vehicle, officials said.
Richard Stamp, 55, was taken into custody just before 10 p.m. following the standoff at Calle Aragon and Via Del Marino, La Verne police Capt. Nick Paz said.
The incident began just before 5 p.m., when a utility crew working along nearby Golden Hills Road spotted a man getting out of a car while brandishing a handgun, the captain said. They reported what they saw to police.
When officers arrived, the suspect got back into his car and drove off, leading police on a short pursuit, Paz said.
He crashed into a fire hydrant around the corner at Calle Aragon and Villa Del Marino but refused to get out of his car.
The Foothill Special Enforcement Team, a SWAT team comprised of officers from several local police departments, was summoned shortly before 6 p.m. to take over the scene at Calle Aragon and Via Del Marino as the suspect continued refusing orders to surrender, Paz said.
The standoff with the suspect, who was presumed to still be armed, continued for about five hours. Nearby homes were evacuated as precaution, and surrounding streets were shut down as the situation continued.
SWAT officers used several different types of teargas in attempts to flush Stamp out of the car with no success, Paz said. He also refused to budge when officers sprayed him with foam from a fire hose.
After using flash-bang grenades and a particularly potent form of teargas to disorient Stamp, SWAT officers rushed the car and took him into custody without further incident, Paz said.
Officers recovered a realistic-looking pellet gun which had been fitted with a scope, as well as an axe and a water pistol, the captain said.
Stamp’s motive for the standoff, as well as his state of mind, remained unclear Friday night.
He was taken to a hospital for examination prior to the booking process.

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