Man dies after standoff

A man who apparently shot himself in the head after a seven-hour standoff with Newport Beach police died of his injuries early Tuesday, authorities said.

The 44-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released, died at a hospital about 5:30 a.m., Newport Beach police officials said.

The incident began about 9:15 p.m. Monday when a woman called police and reported she had been threatened by a man with a gun in a home in the Balboa Coves gated community, police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe said. Officers found the woman outside the residence unhurt.

Authorities were able to contact the suspect inside via telephone. He refused to surrender, told police he was suicidal and threatened to hurt himself, Lowe said.

A SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called in, and authorities made “sporadic” contact with the man over the next several hours, Lowe said. They entered the residence about 4:30 a.m., when they found the man wounded.

The man and woman knew each other, Lowe said, though investigators had not determined their relationship.

About eight nearby homes were evacuated during the standoff, Lowe said. Residents stayed at a local hospital until the incident ended.

The story was reported by Times Staff Writer Kate Mather.