East Hollywood Standoff Erupts After Dispute With Escort

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A man apparently unhappy with an escort service worker apparently fired at her and her driver's car as they drove away, prompting an hours-long standoff in East Hollywood.

Police responded to a report of a man shooting into a car at about 4:44 a.m. in the 1200 block of North Edgemont, according to Los Angeles police.

The suspect had apparently called an escort service, which sent a woman to the address at about 4:30 a.m., LAPD spokesman Lt. John Jenal said. The woman called her driver after about 15 minutes because of an unspecified dispute, he said.

The driver returned, and as they were leaving, the suspect fired several shots at them, one of which hit the car, Jenal said.

No injuries were reported.

The suspect ran into his ground-floor apartment and refused to come out. He was taken into custody at about 9 a.m.

The area immediately around the two-story apartment building was evacuated during the standoff.

The standoff caused traffic around the east end of Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards to be jammed even more than usual during Thursday's morning commute.