Local News in Brief : Suicide Ends 4-Hour Standoff With Police
A gunman in Malibu shot and killed himself Tuesday after threatening to shoot his mother and sister during a 4 1/2-hour standoff that created a massive traffic jam on Pacific Coast Highway, officials said.
A Los Angeles County sheriff’s Special Weapons Team entered the home, located on the highway near the exclusive Malibu Colony, about 12:30 p.m. and found Mitchell McClellan Roberts, 25, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Deputy Gabe Ramirez said.
The incident began shortly after 8 a.m. when the Malibu sheriff’s station received a call from Roberts’ frantic sister, who said he had threatened to kill her and their mother following an argument, Ramirez said.
The two women fled the home unharmed, but when deputies established telephone contact with Roberts, he vowed to kill anyone who interfered with his plans to commit suicide, Ramirez said. They subsequently heard a gunshot and the line went dead.
During the incident, deputies surrounded the home and evacuated nearby residences, while the California Highway Patrol blocked the highway.
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