3-Hour Standoff Ends in Suicide of Stabbing Suspect
A three-hour standoff Monday between police and a man who allegedly stabbed two people ended with the man’s suicide, police said.
Sgt. Adam Bercovici of the Van Nuys division said a SWAT team of officers found the man dead inside a house on the 6800 block of De Celis Place in Van Nuys. Police said he apparently slashed his own throat.
The standoff began around 12:30 p.m., Bercovici said. Soon after police arrived at the house the stabbed victims--a man and a woman--ran out. The woman had been stabbed in the chest, police said. Both were taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center where they were listed in serious but stable condition, police said.
The suspect also emerged from the house, but quickly retreated and barricaded himself inside, police said. A police SWAT team evacuated neighbors and surrounded the house. After an hour, officers fired two rounds of tear gas into the building.
Officers discovered the man’s body about 3:30 p.m., Bercovici said. Police have no motive for the stabbings.
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