Gunman Frees Hostages After 1 1/2 Hours

A disgruntled, gun-wielding former McDonnell Douglas employee held three people hostage for 1 1/2 hours Friday at a Torrance union headquarters and finally surrendered when he “found out he wasn’t going to get a chance to talk to reporters,” authorities said.

Darrell Dishman, 39, of Los Angeles, was booked on suspicion of false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon after the standoff, Torrance Police Lt. Steve Gilliam said.

“He came in here holding a gun at his side and said, ‘This is a hostage situation,’ and told me to call 911. Then he fired three rounds into the ceiling,” said George Aldridge, 46, a union business agent who was held hostage.

“I kept talking (to the police) and he started dialing a list of phone numbers of TV stations and even called the Pentagon but they didn’t answer.”

The incident began at 4:10 p.m. at District 720 headquarters of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 7,000 McDonnell Douglas workers in the Torrance area. A police SWAT squad was called to the scene but was never able to make contact with Dishman.

Aldridge said, “It was something to do with McDonnell Douglas. He wasn’t upset with the union, just with the company.”

Police earlier said he seemed disgruntled because he felt the union had not done enough for him when he was discharged by the aircraft firm.

Held at gunpoint with Aldridge were Barbara Powley, 40, secretary-treasurer of the local, and Gladys Mason, 47, another business agent.

The standoff ended just as abruptly as it began, Aldridge said. “The reason the guy walked out was because the police weren’t going to let him talk to reporters,” he said.

As Dishman walked out of the building, he turned to TV news crews and yelled, “McDonnell builds (inferior) planes. It’s a matter of national defense and they’re lousy.”

McDonnell Douglas spokesmen were not available for comment Friday night.

“I was really relieved when he left,” Powley said.

Said Aldridge: “I feel like God was with me that no one got hurt. You watch this stuff on TV but you don’t expect it to happen to you.”