Man Who Held Police at Bay 9 Hours Found Dead

A 60-year-old man who exchanged gunfire with police and held them off for nine hours Thursday was found dead inside his home.

When Special Weapons and Tactics officers entered the garage of the Sequoia Avenue home, they found “Arlo” Fred Briegel lying face down with a pistol in his hand, said Fullerton Police Sgt. Joe Klein. Authorities didn’t know if he died from a police bullet or self-inflicted wounds.

The incident began when a neighbor called police at about 3 a.m. to report that Briegel, who lived alone, threatened to shoot her because her dog wouldn’t stop barking, Klein said. When officers confronted Briegel, he threatened to shoot them and retreated into his home.

Police maintained contact with Briegel over the telephone until after 10 a.m., when he broke off the conversation. About 11:30 a.m. Briegel emerged from his home with a pistol in hand.

He fired at officers, who returned fire, hitting Briegel at least once and forcing him to retreat again into the now bullet-riddled house, Klein said.

One of Briegel’s bullets hit an officer but deflected off his armored vest.

At noon, officers shot tear gas into the home and rushed in to find Briegel dead, Klein said. Police said the day before, Briegel had threatened to shoot his son, who had recently won a civil action against his father.