Youth Surrenders After 4-Hour Standoff

A teen-ager with a loaded handgun barricaded himself in a Canoga Park house for four hours Thursday before surrendering when Los Angeles police fired four tear-gas canisters inside, authorities said.

The teen-ager, who was not identified because of his age, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after the incident in the 21000 block of Valerio Street, said Police Lt. George Rock.

The suspect, who was on home probation following a burglary conviction four months ago, allegedly was under the influence of cocaine and armed himself with a handgun at 11:40 a.m., Rock said. When his older brother tried to take the gun away, the suspect assaulted him and chased him out of the house at gunpoint, Rock said.

Police were called and nearby homes were evacuated. The gunman, a Mexican national, refused to comply with orders--in Spanish and English--to surrender and the standoff continued until 3:30 p.m. when members of the Special Weapons and Tactics unit fired tear gas into the house.

The teen-ager then came out of the house with his hands behind his head, but still holding the handgun. After repeated orders to drop the weapon, he complied and was arrested. Rock said he would be turned over to juvenile authorities following the investigation.