A marathon stand-off in the Marin is over. San Rafael police announced when they entered the hotel room of a barricaded man they found him dead on the floor. A woman was also in the room but alive.
Police told reporters the last time they spoke to the suspect, Peter James Thomas, was late Wednesday night. Thomac had been barricaded in the Extended Stay Deluxe hotel in San Rafael since 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
After hours of silence police said they drilled holes in his room so they insert cameras to see what was going on. They said when the man was not seen moving for an extended period of time they entered the room and found him dead.
They would not say how they thought he died. They also didn't have answers about the circumstances involving the woman who was alive in the room when police broke through the door. They would only say the woman "was in their custody."
The stand off impacted tens of thousands of drivers. The CHP closed I-580 in San Rafael for hours after the man shot a gun toward vehicles. I-580 was finally reopened to drivers at 1:05 a.m. Thursday after police were able to use a crane to drop a large piece of metal in front of the hotel room window.
Police said Thomac was suspected of stabbing a clerk during a shoplifting attempt at United Markets on Sunday. He was also wanted by the Marin County Sheriff's Office on a $70,000 warrant for burglary, weapons and drug violations.
