Gunfire erupted Monday at a motel near the intersection of state Routes 94 and 125 where deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service were trying to arrest a fugitive, prompting a nearly six-hour standoff that ended when the man was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted bullet wound.
The initial shooting occurred about 10 a.m. at the La Mesa Roadway Inn on Spring Street near Palm Avenue, after which the suspect holed up in a room at the lodge along with a woman and refused to surrender, police Lt. Matt Nicholass told reporters.
Officers evacuated the building, blocked off surrounding traffic lanes and called in a sheriff's SWAT team to try to capture the suspect, whose identity was not immediately available.
About 2:30 p.m., officers escorted the woman away from the motel.
Roughly an hour later, officers entered the room and found the suspect dead of an apparent gunshot wound to the head, Nicholass said.
