Man kills himself after police stand-off

BARSTOW • A man killed himself after a two-hour stand-off with police that caused authorities to evacuate nearby businesses and shut down part of West Main Street for several hours Friday, police said.

At 10:13 a.m., police responded to a report of a suicidal subject who barricaded himself in a motel room on the 800 block of West Main Street. A witness saw the man, in his late 50s, with a handgun while in his room at the location, according to a report by the Barstow Police Department.

Members of the Police Crises Negotiation Team attempted to contact the man, but received no responses. When police entered the premises, they found the man deceased from gunshot wounds that appeared to be self-inflicted.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office was called to respond to the incident.

His name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

All occupants of surrounding motel rooms and businesses were evacuated. All lanes of West Main Street were shut down between Avenue A and Avenue D and remained closed until 12:37 p.m. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Barstow Street Department assisted with the road closure.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Barstow Police Department at (760) 256-2211. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the WeTip Hotline at (800) 78-CRIME or leave information on the WeTip Hotline at www.WeTip.com.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or klucia@desertdispatch.com