Gunman Surrenders After 6-Hour Corte Madera Bank Incident

10:08 p.m. UPDATE: The gunman holed up inside the Corte Madera Bank of America for nearly six hours has come out and surrendered to law enforcement.

Twin Cities Police Authority Chief Todd Cusimano said the unnamed gunman is being held for a psychiatric review to determine whether he is a danger to himself or others before he is taken to jail. Cusimano said the man's name would be released if he is not held for further evaluations.

The gunman did receive his wish and his writings were faxed to Bank of America personnel, Cusimano said, and he was able to briefly talk to bank officials on the telephone about his concerns before agreeing to come out peacefully and bring the incident to an end.

The gunman laid his weapon down on a table and came out of the bank with his hands raised in the air before law enforcement personnel took him into custody. The weapon, police later said, turned out to be a pellet gun.

Roads around the area of the bank on Tamalpais Drive are due to reopen, police said, by around 11 p.m.

"I cannot say how proud I am of the mutual coordination this took," said Cusimano about the work with Twin Cities, San Rafael, Novato, Marin County law enforcement and the FBI. "We've done a great job with our support coming to a safe conclusion."

8:15 p.m. UPDATE: Interview With Hostage: A Tiburon man briefly held hostage during the ongoing incident at the Corte Madera Bank of America said the gunman never tried to harm anyone inside the bank.

D.J. Tilton said he was about two minutes away from finishing his banking transaction at about 4:20 p.m. when a man entered and began waving a gun in the air.

Tilton said the gunman seemed nervous and was not aiming the gun at anyone inside the bank.

"He was criticizing international banking systems," said Tilton. "He said banks are corrupt and those who control them are criminals."

The gunman told bank customers they could finish their transactions and leave if they wanted to, Tilton said, and one woman did just that. The gunman brought water along with him and offered some to the nine remaining hostages.

Tilton said everyone was released after less than 10 minutes.

Twin Cities Police Chief Todd Cusimano said the interior lights of the bank are going to be cut off soon and police are working to have the ability to watch the bank's internal security cameras so they can monitor the gunman's activities.

7:30 p.m. UPDATE: Police have indicated family of the man holed up inside the bank said he does have some psychological issues, but they cannot confirm whether been treated by a doctor for those troubles.

Three of the six people initially held hostage were Bank of America employees and six were customers, according to Todd Cusimano, Twin Cities police chief.

The first call about the incident came about 4:20 p.m. from a citizen outside the bank, police said. The doors to the bank were locked by the time police arrived.

Cusimano said police are prepared to wait, "as long as it takes," for the man to come out of the bank. He said the fact no hostages are involved makes it easier for police to just wait the man out.

He also said he is worried for the man's safety due to his apparent unstable mental condition and they do not want to see him harmed during this incident.

Although there are reports the man is armed, Cusimano said he is unable to confirm whether the man has a real or a toy weapon.

5:30 p.m. UPDATE: A gunman who initially was holding nine hostages inside the branch in Corte Madera has released everyone but is still holed up inside the bank at this hour.

The 25-year-old Asian man from Corte Madera, whose name police have not yet released, entered the bank at 663 Tamalpais Drive around 4:30 p.m., according to Todd Cusimano, chief.

Cusimano said nine bank employees and customers were briefly held hostage but the gunman let everyone leave the bank unharmed.

"We have been negotiating with him for the past hour and we hope to have him out soon," Cusimano told Patch editor Nicole Ely, who is reporting live from the scene.

"We are very relieved that everyone (who was held hostage) inside has exited safely," said Coleen Haggerty, a Bank of American media relations spokesperson.

The gunman is apparently upset about financial issues he is having, according to police. Cusimano said the man wants to write a letter to the CEO of Bank of America before he comes out.

There is no indication whether the man is a Bank of America customer, Cusimano said.

We will post more information on this story as it becomes available.