LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- LAPD SWAT officers today entered a Van Nuys home where a collection of firearms was being kept and took a suspected burglar into custody without incident to end a five-hour standoff that triggered evacuations and street closures.
SWAT officers entered the home in the 14900 block of Gilmore Street and could be seen on footage aired live on Fox11 emerging with a young man in a T- shirt shortly after 8:30 a.m.
The incident was sparked by an alarm that was received around 3:30 a.m. and brought dozens of SWAT and K-9 officers to the scene, police said.
The home's occupant, who was not there at the time, told police that no one -- except his cat -- had any business being there and that he kept a collection of firearms inside, said police Lt. John Romero.
The alarm prompted police to shut down the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Kester Street and surrounding streets and evacuate the residents of about a dozen nearby homes and two multi-story buildings. Romero said some 30 of the evacuees were taken to the gymnasium of Van Nuys High School, which is closed this week because of the holidays.
Given the robust police response, the culmination of the standoff was anticlimactic -- no commando-style storming operation, no tear gas, no diversionary flash-bang grenades.
When officers initially arrived in response to the alarm, they found the door pried open and could hear noises inside, Romero told KTLA5.
Romero said police established contact with the suspect during the subsequent standoff, but he refused to come out. He expressed certainty that the young man ultimately taken into custody was the suspect being sought.
Police remained at the scene following the arrest to make sure he had no accomplices, Romero said.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
