Crime & Safety

Suicidal Gunman Surrenders After 6-Hour Standoff

Novato stay-at-home dad barricaded himself and his estranged wife inside a home before releasing her and giving up, police say.

A 43-year-old Novato gunman faces felony domestic violence and false imprisonment charges after being arrested late Friday night following a six-hour standoff with special-response officers, said Saturday.

The man who had barricaded himself and his estranged wife inside the Arthur Street home surrendered to police and was arrested at 1:43 a.m. Saturday, Lt. Keith Heiden said. The woman sustained a minor injury suffered during a struggle with the suspect.

Richard Michael Rudy, who lives in the 600 block of Arthur in the Presidents neighborhood, was being held on $500,000 bail at Marin County Jail.

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Heiden said Rudy led his estranged wife to believe that she would be picking up the couple's children at the home Friday evening, but the kids were with another family member at another location.

The woman, 42, became concerned when she noticed that doors and windows had been boarded up, Heiden said. She made an attempt to leave, but the man restrained her, then threatened to kill himself with a handgun, the police report said. The woman was able to make a call to police at 7:53 p.m.

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Rudy continued to make suicidal threats and the police department brought in its special response unit and crisis negotiation teams. It took several more hours before Rudy released the woman and then surrendered, ending an incident that lasted 5 hours and 50 minutes from the time of the first call.

Officers found the handgun and several more firearms upon searching the home, Heiden said.

Rudy, who listed his occupation as a stay-at-home father when he was booked at jail, was a boys lacrosse coach at nearby Novato High School. He faces felonies for wielding a firearm, inflicting injury on a spouse/cohabitant and false imprisonment. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of damaging a wireless device.


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