Standoff With Police Ends With Man Dead

Police found a 60-year-old man dead inside his Fullerton home Thursday after a nine-hour standoff and a gunfight in which one officer was hit but not injured.

When SWAT officers entered the garage of the Sequoia Avenue home Thursday morning, they found “Arlo” Fred Briegel lying face-down with a pistol in his hand, Fullerton Police Sgt. Joe Klein said. Authorities were unsure Thursday whether he died from a police bullet or self-inflicted wounds.

The incident began when a neighbor called police about 3 a.m. to report that Briegel threatened to shoot her because her dog refused to 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 Senior Officer Gary Potts but deflected off the front of his armored vest, Klein said. Potts, a 15-year veteran, immediately returned to duty.

At noon, officers shot tear gas into the home and rushed in to find Briegel dead, Klein said. An autopsy is planned.

Briegel had a history of issuing threats. On Wednesday, he threatened to shoot his son, who had recently won a civil action against his father, police reported.

Briegel was charged in 1997 with assault with a deadly weapon after he shot a friend in the stomach, Klein said. A court never convicted him of that charge. A civil case filed in 1993 claimed Briegel had inflicted personal injury, but it was dismissed.