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Gunman Surrenders After 6-Hour Standoff

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Times Staff Writer

A distraught man who was apparently upset with his wife held Orange city police at bay for more than 6 hours Sunday before giving up his revolver and surrendering, police said. The couple’s two small children were with him in the house, but no one was injured in the incident.

Officers said Robert Stark Jr., 24, was held on a charge of child endangerment after he surrendered late Sunday morning. The children were temporarily placed in Orangewood, a county facility for children, police said.

Stark’s wife Carol, 22, had returned to their East Washington Avenue apartment to find that her husband had locked her out. She went to a neighbor’s apartment and called him on the telephone, police said, and Stark told his wife that he was going to kill her and himself.

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She called Orange police, who deployed a Special Emergency Response Team, which is designed to cope with hostage and barricade situations.

For nearly 5 hours, team members negotiated with Stark, who finally placed his revolver in the hallway outside the apartment and surrendered with the two children, a boy 2 years old and a 1-year-old girl.

“He would have never hurt those kids,” a neighbor who would not identify himself said of Stark. “That would be the last thing in the world he would do.”

Neighbors said a baby-sitter was watching the children Saturday night. Stark returned about 10 p.m. and appeared distraught over the whereabouts of his wife. The baby-sitter told police that Stark had waved a revolver around.

At one point, police heard a shot come from the apartment Sunday.

Several occupants of the apartment complex were evacuated.

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