A number of blocks of downtown Los Angeles have been shut down for hours Wednesday after stories of somebody capturing a rifle from an condo high-rise prompted a police SWAT workforce response.
At the least two males have been taken into custody following the about eight-hour standoff, in keeping with Los Angeles Police Officer Charles Miller. He didn’t say whether or not any firearms have been recovered.
No accidents have been reported.
The incident started simply after 5:30 a.m. when cops responded to reported gunshots within the 900 block of Broadway.
Responding officers requested backup and commenced looking the massive condo advanced — recognized because the Broadway Palace Residences — for any potential victims or suspects.
By Wednesday afternoon, police had decided that the gunshots had come from inside a unit.
Throughout a information convention, LAPD Capt. Michael Bland mentioned that an individual contained in the condo was armed and refused to return out.
“We imagine that suspect has a tactical benefit so we’ll name our SWAT workforce, who is very educated, and so they even have a disaster negotiation workforce inbuilt,” Bland mentioned.
Bland mentioned police tried to contact the particular person to de-escalate the state of affairs and encourage the particular person to give up to “decrease the depth earlier than the SWAT workforce has to make pressured entry.”
It was not instantly clear whether or not the 2 males who have been taken into custody voluntarily surrendered, however an LAPD official mentioned neither have been injured.
Police closed off streets within the space from eighth Road to Olympic Boulevard and Predominant to Hill streets through the standoff. All roads had reopened as of shortly earlier than 2:30 p.m.
Video footage taken on the bottom and from the air confirmed police and fireplace automobiles, together with ambulances and firetrucks, parked exterior the condo advanced.
Close by resident Itzel Enciso advised KTLA that she woke as much as greater than a dozen gunshots.
“It’s loopy,” she mentioned, “as a result of it was so many gunshots like again to again to again.”
