Suspect in 5-hour standoff arrested
LA VERNE (CNS / FOX 11) - A suspect who spawned a near five-hour standoff with police after he holed up in a car in La Verne was identified today.
Richard Stamp, 55, led police on a short chase around 5 p.m. Friday after there were reports of him with a rifle.
The incident began when Stamp reportedly placed a pellet gun he modified to look like an assault rifle onto a tripod and the top of his vehicle and pointed it at a home in the 2700 block of Golden Hills Road, La Verne police
Capt. Nick Paz said.
When police responded, Stamp led a short chase before crashing into a fire hydrant and then barricading himself inside the vehicle on the lawn of a home in the area of Calle Aragon and Via del Marino.
A SWAT team was summoned and the area was sealed off from the 60 to 70 homes in the neighborhood as police urged nearby residents to take shelter in their homes, Paz said.
The standoff came to an end at 9:50 p.m. after police used gas to disorient Stamp, allowing the SWAT team to move in and make the arrest, Paz said.
Although no injuries were reported, Paz said Stamp was taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out, which is ''common practice'' when gas is used on a suspect.
Paz said they recovered the pellet gun from the vehicle.
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