Flash-bang grenade ends 6 hour standoff

FAIRHOPE, Ala. - It was a chaotic scene Tuesday morning in a normally quiet, quaint southern town, when a man barricaded himself inside his business and threatened to blow up the entire block.

Family members told Fairhope police that 46-year-old Richard Gambino threatened to use the gas lines to blow up his restaurant, Ravenite Pizzeria.

The first call came in around 1:20 a.m., stating the restaurant was possibly on fire. Officers found no fire at the time.

The next call came almost an hour later, for a disturbance. Investigators say when they got to the restaurant, they found Gambino burning personal items in the sink. They say his actions didn't really garner an arrest at the time.

Two hours later, a little after 4:00 a.m., the family called police, saying Gambino was threatening to hurt himself.

several businesses were shut down after Gambino made the explosion threats.

Buck's Diner was one of the businesses affected.

"I got a phone call from some hysterical employees saying that they couldn't get to work, what should they do? They couldn't get the place opened by 7:00 a.m., what should they do?" said Daneen Buck, the owner of Buck's Diner.

An armored vehicle was even brought in, along with several different law enforcement branches, including the FBI.

Around 10:00 a.m., the SWAT team decided to use a flash grenade to go inside the building. Police video shows they got Gambino out with no problem.

Police say when the call came in, it didn't take long for them to respond. That's because police headquarters is right across the street from the Pizzeria.

Once police had Gambino in custody, streets were reopened.

Over at the municipal complex, the first showing of Jack and the Beanstalk was canceled because of the standoff, but the afternoon production was not.

Organizers say that's somewhat bittersweet.

"It's sad because we have been rehearsing for three months and these kids were scheduled to come and they were disappointed they had to miss it this morning," said director Gina Lanaux.

Police say they do not know why Gambino barricaded himself inside Ravenite. But they do know he was mad at someone or something. Police say when they went inside the pizza shop, they found chairs thrown around and baking flour thrown everywhere.

No one else was hurt in the incident.

Gambino was booked into the Baldwin County Jail, then transferred immediately to Searcy Hospital for mental evaluation.