Man Surrenders After Long Standoff

A nearly eight-hour standoff that interrupted an otherwise quiet neighborhood Monday ended when a Port Hueneme man surrendered peacefully to police after first refusing to leave his home.

Gary Moore, 45, threatened a Ventura County Sheriff’s deputy about 8:30 a.m. when the deputy served Moore with a final eviction notice at his Corvette Street home, police said.

“He said he was armed and he wouldn’t leave,” said Port Hueneme Police Cmdr. Fernie Estrella.

Police said a number of personal and financial setbacks had left Moore distraught. Throughout the afternoon, he refused to come out of his home and told negotiators he was holding a gun to his head, said Sgt. Dan Christian, an Oxnard Police Department crisis negotiator.

Moore surrendered about 4:20 p.m., and authorities said they seized a loaded .38-caliber revolver.

He was taken to the Ventura County mental health facility for evaluation, officials said. Pending the evaluation, police will decide whether to file charges, Estrella said.

Neighbors described Moore as a quiet man who loves animals. He was involved in animal rescue efforts and owns numerous pets, they said.

As Oxnard SWAT team members crouched outside his home, Moore asked negotiators to contact his family members and his attorney, police said. He also wanted to be sure his animals would be cared for if he surrendered.

Moore’s neighborhood came to a standstill for most of the day as police evacuated nearly 15 homes and cordoned off a portion of Hemlock Street and the surrounding area.

Teresa Curiel’s home, which faces the Moore residence from across Hemlock, wasn’t evacuated until late afternoon. But she heard police shouting into Moore’s home in the morning and she heard the threats.

A group of children described waking up from a slumber party to the sight of police in the street. One resident sent police to retrieve her teenage son from their home when police wouldn’t let her back into that part of the neighborhood.

Lois Van Wicklin was perhaps most affected by the standoff. Her Corvette Street home became a temporary command center for police negotiators, with charts pinned to her wall and a battalion of police crews milling about her living room.

“I am glad to have my house back,” she said. “What one person does touches so many other lives.”