Possibly Suicidal Suspect Barricades, Sets Fire To Hotel Room

COSTA MESA, CA - A man, thought by authorities to be suicidal and armed with a knife, barricaded himself Tuesday afternoon in a Costa Mesa motel, prompting a SWAT team response.

The standoff began about 1:30 p.m. when police responded to a report of a suspicious person in the 2500 block of Newport Boulevard and the man ran into the Regency Inn, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department.

The man was holed up in an office on the motel's first floor.

Other guests were evacuated, and crisis negotiators were summoned to try and bring the matter to a peaceful conclusion, Costa Mesa police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said.

Smoke was seen coming from the room but no fire, Fyad said, adding that police were in contact with the man.

Northbound Newport Boulevard was closed to traffic between Fair Drive/Del Mar Avenue and Monte Vista Avenue, Fyad said.

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