Alcohol-Fueled SWAT Standoff Ends in Tragedy

By GABRIELLA BOCK | Reporter

The suspect who barricaded himself into a Riviera home and engaged in a 12-hour-long standoff with police on Wednesday, Aug. 10, had been “struggling with alcoholism for his entire life” his father told the Palisadian-Post.

Identified as 49-year-old Eric Paul Bogart of West Hollywood, the suspect was found dead from a gunshot wound inside the 1600 block of Alta Mura residence Thursday morning.

The fatal incident began the night before at approximately 10:50 p.m., when homeowner Tamme McCauley ran from the estate, calling on local security guards to contact police.

McCauley later told authorities that Bogart had shown up at her home intoxicated and took several shots at her with a gun taken from her mother’s collection.

Bogart’s father confirmed that McCauley and her son had been in a “very private” relationship.

McCauley is the adopted daughter of late real estate and shopping mall magnate Melvin Simon. Her uncle Herbert Simon owns the Indiana Pacers, and her daughter, Tasha, is married to actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
The 56-year-old woman escaped from her home unharmed while Bogart locked himself somewhere inside the 9,000-square-foot residence.

Once LAPD arrived on-scene, they set up a security perimeter and called in a SWAT team.

Crisis negotiators attempted to reason with Bogart, but he refused to come out from the home, inciting an hours-long standoff.

Police fired dozens of tear gas canisters into the sprawling residence, which prompted LAPD to evacuate some nearby neighbors.

Residents and reporters standing outside were given gas masks to wear.

Shortly after 5:20 a.m. on Thursday morning, a single shot rang out from inside the home. Police then fired multiple rounds into the estate.

Tensions fell by 6 a.m. and remained quiet until Bogart was found dead on the home’s second floor just before 11 a.m.

No officers were injured during the shootout, but questions still remain on whether Bogart shot himself or fell in the line of police fire.

Bogart is the grandson of classic television director Paul Bogart who earned acclaim for his work on “All in the Family.”

His father, Peter Bogart, later told the Post that news of his son’s passing comes as a “shock” to the family.

“He seemed okay the last time we spoke,” Bogart said. “He wasn’t a violent person, I’d hate for him to be remembered that way.”

Bogart, an only child, is survived by his father Peter and mother Kerry Shear Lumish.