Man charged after Lambert standoff

ST. LOUIS -- A gunman who held off police for eight hours at Lambert Airport was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and assaulting an officer.

Eddie Booker, 50, never breached any of Lambert's security checkpoints, Lambert Airport spokesman Mike Donatt said. Police said they noticed him acting strangely near the baggage-claim area Friday afternoon.

Officers escorted him to the airport police station. In the booking room, Booker allegedly pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and fired one shot. He waved the gun around and threatened to shoot himself, police said.

St. Louis County police eventually took the man into custody and ended the standoff at about 9 p.m.

The charges were filed over the weekend. Booker was being held at the St. Louis County Jail on $20,000 bail.