Around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, August 9, a domestic dispute erupted into violence in the 1600 block of Alta Mura Rd., an exclusive area of the upper Palisades Rivera.
Homeowner Tamme McCauley ran out into the street where Palisades Patrol security officers Anthony Gonzalez and Taylor Holt was patrolling and said she needed help. Her boyfriend, 50, had a gun and had fired at her.
An assault with a deadly weapon was reported to LAPD and when officers arrived, the suspect fired at them. Police responded with gunfire.
A SWAT team, airships and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department were also called to the area.
LAPD Media Relations Lieutenant Chris Ramirez said that a crisis negotiation team tried to work with the man, whom Ramirez said was irate. The last known communication with the man was around 6 a.m.
It was unclear whether the male had additional weapons, so according to Ramirez, the LAPD played it safe and did not enter the house immediately. Neighbors were evacuated and those who did not want to leave were told to shelter in place.
Ramirez said that around 6 a.m., numerous rounds of tear gas were fired into the home. LAPD confirmed that the reason for so many rounds was the size of the home.
“It was pretty scary,” said neighbor Mariann Lord. “Friends were texting me they were worried about us. We heard the tear gas and thought it was gun shots.”
“We want to resolve this peacefully,” Ramirez told the News shortly after 9:30 a.m. “We want him in a safe place and the neighbors safe.”
At 10:50 a.m., Ramirez returned from the house to the media area set up for the numerous television and media reporters, more than a block from the home. He said that police had made entry into the home and had found the suspect dead on the second floor.
The coroner had been called and detectives were starting an investigation to determine if the suspect had died of his own hands or rather if it had been from a wound from the earlier gun fight. Ramirez was asked if alcohol or drugs had played a part in the dispute and he responded he did not know, but that would be part of the investigation.
Lord, who has lived in the area for about five years and did not know the couple, said, “This is a sleepy, quiet happy neighborhood. This kind of thing doesn’t happen here.”
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