Police: 5 dead in L.A. standoff

LOS ANGELES (Map, News) - A man barricaded himself in a house after telling police he had killed three relatives, then opened fire on a SWAT team Thursday. Five people, including an officer and the gunman, were killed, police said.

The standoff began about 9 p.m. Wednesday night in a house in the San Fernando Valley. Nearly six hours later, police lobbed tear gas into the home and hit it repeatedly with a battering ram. Less than 90 minutes later, the house could be seen on fire.

Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell said police soon exchanged gunfire with the suspect again and he went down. The suspect was taken into custody and pronounced dead on the scene, McDonnell said.

— Thomas Watkins, Associated Press

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.