4-Hour Standoff Concludes in Arrest of Irvine Man

An Irvine man kept police at bay for more than four hours Sunday morning, barricading himself inside his home and threatening to kill himself and officers, before a SWAT team stormed his apartment and disarmed him.

Scott M. Golish, 34, was arrested and booked into the jail ward at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana on charges that included attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, felony spousal abuse, false imprisonment and battery on a peace officer, police said.

The standoff started about 4:30 a.m., when police received a report of domestic violence at the San Marino Village apartments, near Alton Parkway and San Marino, according to Lt. Al Murray.

Police arrived to find a 35-year-old woman who said that she had fled her apartment after her ex-fiance beat and choked her.

The victim told police Golish was armed with a large butcher knife and claimed to have a gun.

Before she made her escape, he had threatened to kill her, himself and any police officers if confronted at the apartment they shared.

Officers telephoned the apartment to tell Golish to come outside.

He refused and again made suicidal threats before hanging up, police said.

Neighboring apartments were evacuated while officers tried unsuccessfully to contact Golish again.

After three hours with no contact, members of the special operations unit broke down the door of the apartment, fearing that Golish had made good on his threat.

Once inside, they reportedly found him brandishing a knife. Police said he refused to surrender and then lunged at officers when they used pepper spray to subdue him.

No officers were injured in the confrontation, but Golish suffered a serious self-inflicted knife wound to his left arm, police said.