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Police Fire Tear Gas to End Standoff with Armed Monrovia Man

The man exited the home that he was holed up in since Sunday night.

A Monrovia man allegedly armed with a gun and sword ended his standoff with police peacefully on Monday morning after officers fired tear gas into his home.

Police had been negotiating with the man by telephone since about 7:55 p.m. Sunday when the man's girlfriend called authorities and said he threatened her with the weapons.

Police believed that the intoxicated man passed out early Monday morning at the home in the 600 block of Shady Oaks Drive but he then woke up and became increasingly hostile, Monrovia Police Lt. Michael Lee said.

"He woke back up and was getting more agitated," Lee said. "We introduced a little gas in the house and the gentleman came out."

The man was identified as Daniel Simpson, 36, of Monrovia. He was arrested shortly before 7 a.m. Monday and will be placed on a 72-hour mental evaluation hold, Lee said. He did not yet know what charges he would be booked on.

No one was injured in the standoff, Lee said.

Police had evacuated several homes near the Simpson's residence, which Lee said had angered neighbors. But the evacuations were necessary for their safety, he said.

"We felt that we were not going to let people drive through what was a free fire zone," Lee said.

The Foothill Special Enforcement Team (F-SET), made up of officers from the Monrovia, Glendora, San Marino and Irwindale police departments, responded to the incident and set up a command center in the parking lot of St. Luke's Episcopal Church on California Avenue and Foothill Boulevard.

A police negotiator was used to talk with the man, as was a psychologist from Los Angeles County Hospital.

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Ellen Zunino May 19, 2013 at 01:37 pm
I kind of lost interest when, along with the Lion's barbecue, the carnival disappeared but thereRead More were always people I knew in the parade so I kept the date. Now that the parade is gone, it's just another festival day in town. Times change and this kind of under-stated event is what people want. The old Monrovia Days used to be a day we could all get together and have fun. Now, people are too busy with their own lives and "community" doesn't mean what it once did.
rubberband May 19, 2013 at 01:09 pm
Interesting. There was one person who decided that letting Monrovia Day slide with nothing doneRead More wasn't gonna play. BY HERSELF and her family and friends planned all of it and set everything up. That person was Keely Milliken. It was astounding how much got done, and without financial support or the usual cast of players to do anything. There were many pitfalls, permits that needed approval and what not...Perhaps if you voiced your displeasure to the City Council and volunteered your personal money and weeks of planning and organizing you'd feel a lot better about it. I can say with absolute conviction that Keely should hold her head high, and I was glad to be a part of it. With almost no money, the people that volunteered their time and efforts are not ashamed, but rather glad that at last minute a albeit mellower version, something nice was created. Sometimes being able to apologize is the biggest most wonderful quality a human can have. I am wrong, often, but not on this one. Great job Keely and family/friends. Thank you for all the hard work.
K. Eckstrom May 19, 2013 at 10:46 am
Danielle, you can call City Hall and they will direct you to the correct people. These peopleRead More worked hard to plan this with what little money we have.
Mike Day May 17, 2013 at 09:56 pm
Thanks for the compliments. mor video to follow
Buzlightyear aka marty May 17, 2013 at 07:37 pm
Yeah, it's cute...... For now......
Ellen Zunino May 17, 2013 at 01:02 pm
Cool presentation. Many of us have had our own encounters and all of us have seen numerous photosRead More and videos so your creative approach freshened it up for us.
Dan Crandell May 16, 2013 at 09:28 pm
A California city will never prevail in a lawsuit against the STATE. All CA. cities must merge toRead More sue in mass under Federal RICO laws while we still have Federal laws. Filing alone at the State level is useless. Wake up people.