Local News in Brief : Gunman Barricaded for 6 Hours Gives Up

A gunman who for six hours barricaded himself and his children inside his Hermosa Beach home after an argument with his wife surrendered to authorities at dawn Monday, police said.

Michael Barnum, 32, left his 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter asleep and unharmed when he came out the front door of his house, Hermosa Beach Police Cmdr. Anthony Altfeld said. Police came to the home at 736 Monterey Blvd. after Barnum fired a single pistol shot into the air from the porch of his home shortly after midnight, Altfeld said.

Barnum’s wife told police that she had left the house earlier after an argument with her husband.

Barnum surrendered when a sheriff’s special weapons team arrived and ordered him out of the house, Altfeld said. He was booked on suspicion of reckless discharge of a firearm and may also be charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine, small amounts of which were found inside the house, Altfeld said.