Santa Monica Standoff Ends With Suicide
A gunman killed himself early Wednesday in his Santa Monica home, bringing an end to a standoff that involved two hostages, police said.
SWAT teams entered a home on the 2900 block of Delaware Ave in Santa Monica at 4 a.m., according to Santa Monica Police Sgt. Richard Lewis.
Police found the body of an unnamed man, 47, who appeared to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
The apparent suicide capped off a 12-hour standoff that included two hostages - the man's son, 15, and his mother-in-law, 86.
Police said an argument between the man and his estranged wife precipitated the hostage situation.
Santa Monica and Beverly Hills police SWAT teams arrived at the home at 5 p.m. after the son escaped and called 911. The mother-in-law was released from the home at 9:50 p.m., police said. Neighbors were also evacuated from their homes during the standoff, police said.
Late Tuesday, Sgt. Lewis said that the police had been in contact with the man. No reports have been released regarding what transpired between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., when the SWAT team entered the home.
