2 Children in Hostage Case Rescued; Man Slain

El Monte police shot and killed a man whose two accomplices barricaded themselves inside a home where they were believed to be holding two young children hostage Sunday, triggering a tense, six-hour standoff with officers, authorities said.

The confrontation in the 11200 block of Redberry Street ended shortly before 8:30 a.m. when Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies stormed the residence and rescued the children, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Deputy John Ashley.

One of the barricaded men was arrested at the home after the standoff, but a third man escaped, Ashley said.

“One child was sleeping and the other one was awake,” Ashley said. “Both were safe, unharmed . . . and hungry.”

The incident began just after 2 a.m. when residents reported hearing gunfire, deputies said. El Monte police confronted three men standing in a driveway, Ashley said. One of the three men fired on the officers, who returned fire, fatally wounding one of the men, the deputy said.

The remaining two men fled into the residence, authorities said. The sheriff’s Special Weapons Team was summoned to the scene, along with a crisis negotiation unit.

Deputies in a helicopter circling the residence used a loudspeaker to urge the occupants to leave, and a woman walked out, leaving her two children inside, authorities said.

Unable to make contact with the two men barricaded inside, police entered the home at about 8 a.m. Deputies rescued a month-old infant and a 2-year-old boy.

Authorities declined to release the names of the suspects.