Two brothers, who Burbank police have identified as 66 year-old Thomas Wayne Binkley and 65 year-old Steve Leroy Binkley were arrested last night after a barricade incident in which Thomas Binkley later died after being tased while being put onto custody, said Sergeant Claudio Losacco of the Burbank Police Department in a press conference held Wednesday morning at the Burbank Police Station.
On Tuesday evening, October 4, at about 6:20 pm, Burbank Police Officers responded to a woman’s home on Shelton St. to investigate a report of criminal threats. The investigation took the two officers to a second home in the 500 block of N. Mariposa Street.
After taking the woman’s statement, two Burbank Police Officers, who were identified as each having over six years of law enforcement experience, responded to a home in the 500 block of N. Mariposa St. to speak with the suspect.
At that time the officers made contact with the suspect, Thomas Binkley, outside the home. While speaking with the officers, Thomas Binkley became verbally confrontational and ultimately physically assaulted the officers. During the altercation, one of the officers discharged his taser, which stopped the assault on the officers.
Police then say a second man, who had been identified as Steve Binkley, Thomas’ brother, came to the door of the home threatening the officers while brandishing a handgun. This forced the officers to take cover and call for assistance.
Steve Binkley remained barricaded in the home for about 40 minutes, before exiting without further incident. The officers were able to rescue Thomas Binkley during the barricade situation and remove him from the immediate area, where he could be treated by paramedics. He was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
The man refused to exit the home and a barricade situation ensued and during that time, Burbank police shut down the area to traffic on both Mariposa and Magnolia to protect the public in case gun fire was exchanged. Police also deployed their ‘Bearcat’ to the scene for officer safety.
After communicating with the man, the suspect gave up after about 40 minutes with no shots fired, exiting the home and complying with officers orders as they took him into custody on the parkway of the residence.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office responded and will rule on Thomas Binkley’s cause of death.
Steve Binkley was arrested and booked into the Burbank City Jail on one count of threatening a public officer. He is being held in-lieu of $25,000 bail and due to appear in court Friday morning.
The handgun believed to have been used in the threat against the officers by Steve Binkley was recovered during the service of a search warrant inside the home this morning.
This investigation is on-going.
