Charred Body Found at Site of Standoff

Charred remains found Saturday in a gutted Anaheim townhome were believed to be those of the man who had barricaded himself inside for eight hours, fired at least 20 rounds at police and disappeared in a fire that gutted homes and sent dozens of residents fleeing.

Police said the suspect, whose name they had not released, had a volatile temperament and had had a fight with his wife Friday afternoon that eventually led to the firestorm in the 110-unit Brookmoore Homes complex on Cornwall Drive.

“The police had come numerous times, and [Friday] I thought it would be just the same old stuff,” said Reyna Quijada, 19, who has lived next door to the suspect for four years. But on Friday afternoon, she said, “it started getting out of control.”

Police arrived at the complex about 3 p.m. in response to a call from the suspect’s wife reporting that he was beating her, Police Sgt. Joe Vargas said.

“Really, we figured it was going to be a regular barricade situation, where you just sit and wait,” Vargas said. But when the suspect flashed a gun, a SWAT team was called and 36 units that were potentially in the suspect’s line of fire were evacuated.

“We did engage in conversation with him during this time,” Vargas said. “He was very volatile, using profanity, threatening us. He was shouting things like, ‘I know you’re all wearing vests, so I’m going to go for head shots.’ Very recalcitrant.”

About 9 p.m., the man began firing at police and the SWAT team. Police used tear gas to force him out, without success. They later discovered he had at least three handguns and a shotgun, Vargas said.

About 10 p.m., smoke could be seen rising from the complex, and soon the suspect’s home was engulfed in flames. Because he still posed a threat, firefighters at first did not attempt to extinguish the blaze.

“We had to take every precaution,” Vargas said. At that point, it was unclear if the suspect would continue to shoot from the fiery townhouse or if he had escaped, he said.

Eventually, they attacked the fire with extended hoses from a safe distance. Then firefighters, accompanied by armed SWAT team members, approached the house. By the time the fire was under control at 11:30 p.m., two townhomes had been gutted and two others damaged.

Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Displaced residents were taken to Magnolia High School in Anaheim, where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center. Others stayed with family and friends waiting for word that they could return.

Quijada, who lived next to the suspect and his wife for four years, said their domestic trouble had “been going on for a while. They’re fighting a lot, and we could always hear it.”

On Friday, neighbor Dave Charlton, 43, said, the wife came to him for help after calling police.

“She came by, and she was kind of beat up,” he said. “I tried to calm her down, and then I heard the commotion out back,” he said.

At that point, police told Charlton, the wife and Charlton’s four sons that they would have to evacuate.

Charlton, whose townhome sustained some damage, said he’s now staying with a brother-in-law in Garden Grove.

On Saturday morning, residents and others gathered early along Ball Road and Cornwall behind police tape, which covered nearly the whole block.

“I just remember that we smelled it first,” said Danielle Ramirez, 29, who lives two blocks away. “There was this odor, and we were trying to figure out if it was a vehicle, a car on fire.” They followed the scent, she said, and saw “the whole place was engulfed in flames.”

Kathy Liskum-Ellis, 53, who lives across the street, said she was concerned when firefighters initially stood by.

“I said we’re not just going to stand there and do nothing. We can’t just let one person burn Anaheim down. But I didn’t realize at the time that he was still in there possibly with a gun,” Liskum-Ellis said. “I really feel sorry for people who lived near that man.”

Grace Ajamian was in the crowd to try to recover what she could from her home, which had been damaged in the blaze.

“I’m insured; I’m not worried about that,” said Ajamian, 54. “I want just to get my personal things--pictures, stuff that my mother has made for me.”

Like many other displaced residents, Ajamian briefly stopped by the Magnolia evacuation center and then went to a relative’s home.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. This,” she said, pointing to the clothes she was wearing, “is all I have left, what I walked out with.”