One of 2 Venice Standoffs Ends in Suicide

A man who barricaded himself in his Venice home kept authorities at bay for about six hours before taking his own life, while a similar but unrelated incident in the same community ended peacefully, police said Saturday.

The first incident began shortly before noon when police received a call that a man threatening suicide had holed up in the attic of a house in the 2300 block of Pacific Avenue, according to LAPD Officer Don Cox. A SWAT team and negotiators were sent to the home but were unable to persuade the still-unidentified man to surrender. The incident ended about 5:30 when, after firing tear gas into the house, police entered and found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot.

The other incident began about 1:30 p.m. when a man with a history of mental illness barricaded himself in a home in the 2900 block of Washington Boulevard. The man, also unidentified, was taken into custody about two hours later, Cox said.

The situations prompted the LAPD to call a tactical alert in five Westside-area divisions so officers from other stations could back up the Pacific Division, in which the incidents occurred, Cox said.