Nov 3, 2008 2:26 pm US/Pacific
Gunman Waving U.S. Flag Shuts Down 101 In SoCal
SANTA BARBARA (AP) ―
-
-
A masked gunman waves a U.S. flag on a Highway 101 overpass in Santa Barbara Monday as a police officer observes.
CBS
A masked man waving an American flag and a handgun on a Highway 101 overpass surrendered to police Monday after forcing a traffic shutdown for hours.
Crisis negotiators reached an agreement with the unidentified man in which he would give up after being allowed to attach a Barack Obama campaign sign and the flag to the overpass railing, said police Sgt. Jim Pfleging.
The man was believed to be a service veteran, he said.
Police were continuing to investigate a duffel bag and the man's car at the scene but "we have no credible threats or any threats of explosives," Pfleging said.
The man, wearing a ski mask and brown fatigues, had the flag in one hand and the gun in the other when officers arrived on the La Cumbre Avenue overpass just after 7:10 a.m., said police Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte.
No shots were fired. A police special weapons and tactics team and a crisis negotiation team used a bullhorn to communicate with the man. Nearly three hours into the siege he put the handgun on the ground and he later walked backward to police officers.
As for the man's motive, Duarte said, "The reason appears to be anti-war, but I don't know the specifics."
Pfleging said the man would receive a mental health evaluation.
The freeway, a major route along the California coast, was completely shut down west of downtown Santa Barbara and the Highway Patrol reported at 10 a.m. that traffic was backed up at least three miles in each direction.
Motorists stuck on the freeway got out of their vehicles and chatted or waved at media helicopters. The freeway was reopened after the man's arrest.
The La Cumbre overpass links the exclusive Hope Ranch and La Cumbre Golf & Country Club on the south to the La Cumbre Plaza shopping mall and State Street to the northeast.
Santa Barbara is 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments