Former Basketball Star Dies in Police Standoff

Tyler Honeycutt apparently took his own life

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 7, 2018 3:36 PM CDT

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Former Basketball Star Dies in Police Standoff — UCLA forward Tyler Honeycutt shoots during practice Wednesday, March 16, 2011. (AP Photo)

A former college basketball star who later played for the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets was found dead Saturday after exchanging gunfire with the LAPD, the LA Times reports. SWAT officers responded to a "man with a gun" call at the Sherman Oaks, Calif., home of Tyler Honeycutt, where officers were shot at when trying to communicate with someone inside, per the LAPD. Cops returned fire and the man barricaded himself inside. Honeycutt was later found dead on the scene. Bort Escoto, Honeycutt's former high school coach, says Honeycutt's mother called and said he had killed himself, which the LAPD echoed in a tweet, per USA Today.

"I felt he’s not built to go to jail," says Escoto. "But I don’t see him ending his life either." Escoto explained that Honeycutt had been playing basketball in Russia and was struggling to adapt to life there. "It's hard for an LA kid to go to Russia, not know the language or surroundings. He was basically having a hard time with the adjustment. I just kept telling him he needed to get out and meet people." No officers were hurt in the gunfire and at least 30 local residents were evacuated during the standoff, ABC 7 reports.

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