Shots Fired During Hours-Long SWAT Standoff In North Hollywood
NORTH HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) – A dispute between neighbors sparked a more than five-hour armed standoff overnight Friday in North Hollywood, during which a suspect fired gunshots and nearby homes were evacuated, authorities said.
According to Los Angeles police, the incident began at 1:20 a.m. Saturday when a man who lives in a duplex in the area of Lankershim Boulevard and Kling Street called 911 to report that his neighbor had punched him.
The man told dispatchers he had gone over to his neighbor's residence to confront him about noise when the neighbor assaulted him.
When officers arrived on scene and attempted to speak to the suspect, he refused to exit his unit. Officers then heard gunshots coming from inside the home.
SWAT teams were called out, a parameter was set up, surrounding roads were closed and nearby homes were evacuated.
The standoff lasted more than five hours. At about 6:30 a.m., officers sent tear gas inside the home, which prompted the suspect to surrender peacefully.
Investigators are unsure if the man was trying to shoot at officers.
"We just heard a gunshot, and when we go in the house, we'll look and we'll see, we'll see if it's the wall that faced the officers, or if it was in the floor or the ceiling," LAPD Lt. Victor Arellano told CBS2. "We have to verify where that shot was. We don't know what he was shooting at. We definitely heard a gunshot and the officers basically got the resources to get here."
The circumstances that led up to the standoff are under investigation. The suspect's name and the charges he might face were not disclosed.