A four-hour pursuit and standoff between the LAPD, its SWAT team, and a man armed with an assault rifle ended Monday afternoon in North Hollywood. The events ended when authorities fired tear gas into the home in which the rifle-wielding suspect – who was described as an Hispanic male – barricaded himself according to the Los Angeles Times.
The disarmed suspect was taken into custody by authorities around 3:00 p.m.
Throughout the standoff, LAPD Lieutenant Andy Neiman emphasized the LAPD’s intent to end the standoff in a peaceful manner. Speaking to a local Fox News affiliate in Los Angeles, he tried to send out a message to the suspect: “Give yourself up. There are other ways to resolve this… Just give yourself up.”
The armed suspect, whose name the police did not release, took the LAPD on a high-speed chase and into a standoff on the rooftop of a residential North Hollywood neighborhood before holing himself up inside of a home located on the 11500 block of Hartsook Street.
The LAPD’s SWAT team arrived on the scene in front of the home where the suspect was barricaded, and a few hours later, he surrendered to authorities, according to live coverage of the standoff by Fox News.
According to Lt. Neiman, the dispute began a few days ago when the suspect made criminal threats against his girlfriend. An arrest warrant was issued for the 40-year-old suspect. A restraining order was reportedly also in place, according to Fox News.
The pursuit began around 10:15 am in California’s Boyle Heights area on Monday, after the suspect was noticed sitting outside of his girlfriend’s home, notes the Times.
The chase ended and the standoff began when the suspect exited his vehicle around 11:30 am and proceeded to run through the North Hollywood neighborhood before climbing onto a rooftop and disappearing before he holed himself up a home. The situation finally came to an end when teargas was fired into the home.
The LAPD had urged all residents in the area to stay indoors as a precautionary measure throughout the standoff.
Nearby, the Oakwood School, which is located on Magnolia Boulevard, just east of the 170 freeway, was evacuated by the LAPD and the Los Angeles Unified Police. According to Lt. Neiman everyone from the Oakwood School had been moved to the nearby Hollywood park and parking lot on Magnolia Avenue.
“You never know what’s going to happen in these situations so we prepare for the worst, hope for the best,” Lt. Neiman said.
No injuries were reported.
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