SWAT: December 2011 Archives

LA MIRADA - A nine-hour standoff ended Friday when a gunman who had holed up inside a home was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Sheriff's deputies hadn't released the man's name by Friday night.

The incident began about 7:30 a.m. at a house on Mercado Avenue, near Rosecrans Avenue, sheriff's Sgt. Greg Arnold said.

Officials evacuated about 390 students from a nearby middle school during the standoff, taking them to a local park.

Arnold said deputies responded to reports of gunshots heard inside the house. At the time, family members told officials the man was a danger to himself.

At about 11 a.m., after refusing orders to surrender, "the suspect fired several rounds out of the house," said Sgt. Diane Hecht. No one was struck by the gunfire.

Nearby Los Coyotes Middle School, at 14640 Mercado Ave., was placed on lockdown as a precaution at the outset of the incident, authorities said. But the roughly 390 students were ultimately bused to La Mirada Park, 15105 Alicante Road, after the shots were fired.

Deputies encircled the home and attempted to contact the person inside, Arnold said. Deputies noted blood stains outside the home.

Nearby homes were also evacuated as a precaution.

Arnold said a robot was used to search the house but didn't locate the man.

At about 4:45 p.m., he said the special enforcement bureau, which is the sheriff's SWAT team, forced their way into the house and discovered the man dead.
- From staff reports