Police Fire Tear Gas to End Standoff with Armed Monrovia Man

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.