Irvine man badly hurt after standoff with SWAT team

An Irvine man was in critical condition after being shot by SWAT officers when he allegedly pointed an assault rifle at them during a standoff, authorities said.

Officers confronted the man Tuesday night at an apartment building on Topeka, where a woman said her husband had beaten her and then barricaded himself in a bedroom, said Irvine police Lt. Rick Handfield.

After the woman and her three children were escorted out of the apartment, officers tried to talk to the man. But they retreated when they heard him ready a firearm from behind the closed bedroom door and then heard gunfire directed toward them, Handfield said.

Officers then ordered the evacuations of surrounding apartments and called in a SWAT team, Handfield said.

SWAT officers attempted to negotiate with the man by telephone until about 11:40 p.m., when he appeared at the apartment door with a military-style assault rifle, Handfield said. The man crouched and allegedly pointed the rifle at SWAT officers, who shot him in response, Handfield said.

The man, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital where he was in critical condition with an unknown number of gunshot wounds, Handfield said. No officers were injured.

The Orange County district attorney’s office will conduct an independent investigation, Handfield said.

 molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com