Escondido

A 34-year-old Vietnam War veteran who reportedly fired rifle shots in his home surrendered peacefully to police Friday morning after a 10-hour standoff.

The man, identified by Escondido police as Richard E. Carby, gave himself up after first raising an American flag in the front yard of the house in the 1000 block of West 13th Street.

Three other people who were in the house during the siege told police they were not hostages and did not fear for their safety.

The incident began about midnight with complaints to police about gunfire from the house. Police at the scene called the Sheriff’s Department SWAT team for assistance after the man refused to surrender and gunshots were heard in the house.

Later in the morning, telephone communication was established between Carby and Escondido police trained in hostage negotiations. Sgt. Gerry Ford said of their conversations, “He was never real hostile. He was extremely guarded. He was concerned about (the safety of) the other people in the house. We talked about lots of things--the war, the country, the flag.”

An adult friend and Carby’s 14-year-old son walked out of the house about 9 a.m., and Carby surrendered about 10 a.m. after being promised that he could meet with a doctor from the Veterans Administration Hospital in La Jolla. Directly ahead of Carby, his sister walked out.

Carby was taken to police headquarters, then released to a doctor from the VA Hospital, said Escondido Police Lt. Michael Stein.

Police later found a .30-caliber M-1 carbine inside the house, but were not sure if it had been fired, Stein said. Carby was not arrested.