Man With Rifle Barricaded In Oakland Home With 2 Children Surrenders Peacefully

OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Police in Oakland confirmed Wednesday evening that a 13-hour standoff at the home of man armed with a rifle who had two children with him has ended peacefully.

Police said that the man let the two children go and surrendered shortly afterwards. The scene was being cleared by about 6:30 p.m.

Police and SWAT officers had surrounded the home in an East Oakland neighborhood since early Wednesday morning.

Oakland police spokesman Johnna Watson emailed that officers responded at 5:33 a.m. to 5700 block of Harmon Ave. in the city's Seminary neighborhood near Mills College after their shotspotter alert system detected shots being fired.

"When officers arrived on scene they observed a man shooting a rifle from a window of a residence," Watson said. "No injuries reported at this time."

The unidentified gunman's wife managed to escape from the home, but two children, six and eight years old, remained inside, police said.

Residents were warned to remain sheltered in place and the area had been cordoned off by police. A hostage negotiation team was talking to the gunman around noon Wednesday, more than six hours into the standoff.

Police have sent in a robot to get a better look at what was happening in the house as well as a drone.

Neighbors interviewed by police told KPIX 5 "some fool woke up shooting."

"I want to make sure our community knows we are concerned with everyone's safety," said Oakland police spokeswoman Felicia Aisthorpe. "That's our number one priority and we are in communications, we want him to put down the rifle. And we're trying to get a safe surrender."

There were some tense moments when a man who may be the man's brother got into a shouting match with officers at the edge of the crime tape.

The man had been apparently been calling the gunman on the phone. Police told him if he called the suspect again he would be arrested for obstructing their investigation.

In:
• Oakland