Porn actor sought in slaying dies after standoff ends in Chatsworth

Authorities say a porn actor suspected of killing a colleague with a prop sword died after he jumped from a hillside after a nearly nine-hour standoff in the hills of Chatsworth.

34-year-old Stephen Clancy Hill had climbed a hillside and was threatening to commit suicide, after leaving a Chatsworth home where he was barricaded for most of the day.

"He jumped down off the cliff after he was Tased,'' LAPD Officer Bruce Borihanh said. Whether Hill died from being Tasered, the fall or possibly landing on the sword he was armed with was under investigation, Borihanh said.

Hill had been taken to a nearby hospital after he fell off the hillside and was pronounced dead at 6:45. LAPD officers used less than lethal ammunition to end the standoff, Borihahn said.

A SWAT team surrounded the home in the Chatsworth neighborhood Saturday morning. Neighbors had spotted Hill's vehicle in the neighborhood earlier and alerted the authorities, Borihahn said. Hill had been on the hillside since 9:30 a.m.

LAPD Officer April Harding said Hill was clutching a sword as police tried to talk him down. It's unclear whether the sword is the murder weapon.

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel have also been deployed to the seen to provide any needed assistance, Borihahn said.

Hill faces murder and attempted murder charges in connection with the attack Tuesday at a DVD production center that left one person dead and two injured.

Hill, whose professional name is Steve Driver, fled in an SUV. An arrest warrant was issued Friday.

The charges were filed Friday after Eric Jover, who runs the Ultima DVD production house, offered a $2,000 reward on the company's website for information leading to the arrest of Hill.

Hill went on the rampage after being told he was being fired and would have to move out of the production facility where he had been living, authorities said.

The small company is located in the San Fernando Valley, known in the adult film industry as Porn Valley for its large number of porn businesses.

Ultima produces niche films featuring fetishes and sexual domination of men.

KPCC staff, the Associated Press and KPCC wire services contributed to this report.