By Gary Klien
Marin Independent Journal
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — An assault suspect who barricaded himself in a San Rafael hotel room with his girlfriend was found dead in the room Thursday afternoon, police said.
The man was identified as Peter James Thomas, 38, who was suspected of slashing several employees during a shoplifting incident Sunday at United Market in San Rafael.
Thomas was also wanted on a $70,000 warrant from Marin Superior Court on burglary, drugs and weapons allegations, said San Rafael police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher.
Police entered the room around 12:30 p.m. — more than 24 hours after the standoff began at the Extended Stay Hotel on Francisco Boulevard East — after drilling a hole in the wall, inserting a camera and seeing the body, Rohrbacher said.
Police removed the woman and were questioning her Thursday. Her name was not released.
Police did not disclose how Thomas died. His last communication with police was late Wednesday night.
The standoff began Wednesday morning after police learned the United Market suspect was staying at the hotel. Thomas barricaded himself in the second-floor room and fired a gunshot out the window toward traffic on Interstate 580.
Authorities briefly shut down the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and closed Interstate 580 between the bridge and Highway 101 to prevent Thomas from shooting at traffic. But the closure — which continued all day and into the night while police negotiated with Thomas — forced traffic to side streets and gridlocked the area.
Copyright 2011 San Jose Mercury News