Barricaded Gunman at CBS Studios Shoots Self

A man shot himself after a four-hour standoff Tuesday at the CBS television studios, where he aimed a gun at an employee and forced an evacuation after bursting into the building, authorities said.

The 29-year-old man was taken to a hospital at 9:15 p.m. with a single gunshot to the chest. He was listed in critical condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center late Tuesday.

About 800 CBS employees, including actors and crew members filming “The Young and the Restless” soap opera, were evacuated from the 24-acre facility in the 7800 block of Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax district.

“At first I thought it was a joke,” said David Tom, 24, who plays the character Billy Abbott on the soap opera. Tom was doing a scene in which he was required to act nervous.

He said that when the director told the cast there was a gunman on the lot and they would have to leave, “I thought he was just trying to rile us up a little. Then I realized he was serious.”

The man apparently crashed through the CBS Television City parking lot security gate in a pickup truck shortly before 5 p.m. and then strode into the mailroom.

“He said, ‘I need help now!’ and he put a gun to his head,” said Michael Grandinetti, a media coordinator who was in the mailroom.

He said the man then pointed the gun at the mailroom supervisor and pulled the trigger twice. “I heard a clicking sound,” but the gun didn’t fire, Grandinetti said.

Witnesses said the man expressed fears that Hawthorne police wanted to hurt his family. Hawthorne police said they did not know the man and had no idea why he might fear them.

CBS officials said the incident should not delay the broadcast of any shows.