COUPLE SEEKS PAYMENT IN POLICE SIEGE.

Byline: Terry Kanakri Daily News Staff Writer

A Simi Valley couple is asking the city to pay for residential damage that they say was caused by police responding to a domestic incident.

Darryl and Rita Brown have filed a claim with the city, asking for $7,705 to repair damage that they say was inflicted by the Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, which responded to a Dec. 20 incident at their home.

After several hours in a tension-filled standoff, police arrested Mark R. Brown, who they said was intoxicated and had barricaded himself in his brother Darryl's Cochran Street home, and opened fire.

Police said Mark Brown had argued with Darryl and refused to leave the house. Police said they called the crisis negotiation and SWAT teams to the scene after Mark Brown barricaded himself in the house.

Lt. Tony Harper said members of the SWAT team used a concussion grenade that was thrown into Darryl Brown's house to disorient Mark Brown, who was armed with a semiautomatic gun.

"It explodes and what it does is it incapacitates the individual that we're trying to apprehend," Harper said. "It has a very loud explosion which knocks you off-balance, throws you off guard."

Harper said concussion grenades commonly are used with armed or barricaded suspects, but acknowledged that such a device might wreak havoc with the interior of a home.

"We threw one in there, and it did some damage," he said. "But it's nothing unusual at all, particularly if you have an armed suspect. They (The Browns) are certainly within their right to file a claim with the city."

Darryl and Rita Brown did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

City Attorney John Torrance said his office is investigating the claim.

The Browns listed damage that included a broken window, damage to paint and carpet, a broken door and lamp, as well as smoke damage.