Vietnam Vet Ends Standoff After 14 Hours
A Vietnam veteran armed with a rifle crashed his car through a gate at a Veterans Affairs office Sunday and held police off for 14 hours before giving up.
Jason Leigh, 48, who police said was upset over problems with his veterans benefits, left the office about 6 p.m. PST.
He walked out shirtless and with his hands up, ending a daylong standoff with police that forced hundreds of residents out of homes near the Veterans Affairs Regional Center.
Leigh, a Vietnam veteran, according to family members, broke into the center about 3:45 a.m. PST, Waco police spokeswoman Marcia Bourque said.
The building, in a neighborhood of homes and businesses, was largely empty at the time of the break-in except for security personnel. Leigh never took hostages. He initially said he had explosives but later denied it, police said.
Officers evacuated residents in a six-block area around the building.
By early evening, most evacuees had not been allowed to return home because police were sweeping the building to make sure there were no explosives inside.
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