Man Kills Self During 7-Hour Standoff

A man died Tuesday after apparently shooting himself in the head during a seven-hour standoff with police in a gated community in Newport Beach, authorities said.

Police were dispatched to the Balboa Cove area around 9:15 p.m. Monday, after a woman called to say she was being threatened by a man with a handgun, according to Newport Beach police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe.

"Officers arrived and contacted the female victim, who was unharmed, outside of the residence," Lowe said in a released statement. "Officers made phone contact with the male in the residence, who was threatening suicide; however he refused to exit."

Around 4:30 a.m., SWAT team members entered the residence and found the man with a gunshot wound to the head, Lowe said. He was taken to a local hospital and died about an hour later, Lowe said.

The man's identity was not released pending notification of family.

The man and woman apparently know one another, but their relationship was not immediately disclosed, Lowe said.

City News Service contributed to this report.