NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

INCIDENTS

Death Valley NP

Rangers Involved In Standoff With Suicidal Man

On the afternoon of Thursday, March 12th, Death Valley rangers received a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) message for an armed, suicidal man, dressed in a white bathrobe and driving a white Mercedes Benz, who had reportedly assaulted a family member with a knife in Los Angeles. The BOLO also noted that the man was believed to have at least one firearm in his possession, adding that he'd threatened to engage police in a pursuit and shootout. The man was spotted by an Inyo County deputy on Artists Drive Road, a one-way scenic loop road at the north end of Badwater Road within the park. While the deputy followed him, other officers and rangers closed off the road's entrance and exit and evacuated visitors from the area, which was experiencing heavy visitation at the time. The man drove into the Artist's Palette parking area, a dead-end parking area surrounded by steep embankments, and stopped there. The deputy was joined at the lot by rangers and two California Highway Patrol officers. The terrain permitted tactical advantages in that it enabled rangers and officers to locate secure, elevated positions with a clear view of the man and his car. There were no other vehicles in the lot at the time. The deputy was able to begin a dialogue with the man from a position of cover at the entrance to the lot. The man appeared to be very agitated, repeatedly alternating between backing up the car and stopping, then pulling forward and stopping. At several points during the standoff, the man said that his “life was over” and repeatedly asked the officers to “just shoot him.” At 7:30 p.m., about two-and-a-half hours into the standoff, the man finally surrendered and was taken into custody. He was booked into the Inyo County jail, but also faces additional charges in Clark County for the earlier assault. No weapons were found during the initial search of the Mercedes. Although the man was not injured, there was a good deal of blood in the car's interior. It was impounded by Inyo County officers. Eight NPS rangers were involved in the incident. [Brent Pennington, Chief Ranger]

Grand Canyon NP

Rangers Investigate Probable Suicide

On the morning of Monday, March 16th, dispatch received a report that a man had been found dead in a residence within the park. Rangers found the man's body lying in a bed in the residence, located in an area of the park known as Trailer Village. The death is considered a probable suicide. The body has been taken to the county medical examiner's office. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:

Grand Canyon NP - On Thursday, February 26th, park staff, partners and friends gathered at the new Verkamp's Visitor Center on the South Rim to celebrate Grand Canyon's 90th year as a national park and to commemorate the re-opening of an historic structure as a park visitor center.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7458" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7458

Fire and Aviation Management - The Branch of Wildland Fire has released a new wildland fire communication plan for use at all levels of the National Park Service.

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7451" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=7451

Grand Canyon NP - Members of the park's helitack and search and rescue crews have received the Igor I. Sikorsky Award for Humanitarian Service in recognition of their efforts during the short-haul rescue of 16 stranded boaters last August.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=ParkNewsEvents&id=25260" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=ParkNewsEvents&id=25260

Fire and Aviation Management - The Division of Fire and Aviation has recently filled nine positions with new staff who together have over 150 years of experience.

HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7452" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Announcements&id=7452

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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:

HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363

Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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