Man arrested after eight-hour standoff at Federal Building
By Chris Benderev
Aug. 13, 2009 9:42 p.m.
A Los Angeles man who allegedly made threats to the White House and prompted an eight-hour police standoff at the Federal Building was taken into custody Thursday evening, authorities said.
The 56-year-old suspect, described by police as being mentally unstable, sat in a red Volkswagen Beetle in the Federal Building parking lot for most of the day, flanked on all sides by law enforcement vehicles.
As a precautionary measure, authorities ordered the Federal Building and nearby apartments evacuated, and Veteran Avenue was closed south of Wilshire Boulevard.
The ordeal began at around 10 a.m. on Thursday, when police located the subject near Westchester, said Gus Villanueva, a Los Angeles Police Department detective.
The Secret Service and LAPD were on the scene investigating the man, who had made threats against the White House in a 911 phone call on Wednesday, Villanueva said. Authorities did not provide further information regarding the nature of these threats. After refusing to speak with agents Thursday morning, the suspect fled in his car, sparking a police pursuit through Westside Los Angeles that ended in the parking lot of the Federal Building in Westwood, Villanueva said.
The suspect’s car was then surrounded by police cruisers.
The suspect remained in his vehicle until roughly 7 p.m., unresponsive to law enforcement attempts to communicate, said Terry Hara, LAPD deputy chief.
Police made multiple attempts to talk and negotiate.
At one point, authorities employed a robot to assess the risk the suspect posed and to offer a cell phone as a means of communication, Hara said.
Police later deployed tear gas into the suspect’s car through the rear window, which failed to subdue the man.
Hara said the suspect’s resilience to chemical agents was “quite surprising.”
Police finally apprehended the man after breaking a passenger window and Tasering him, Hara said.
As of Thursday evening, the suspect was being treated and evaluated at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Authorities said they expect the suspect will undergo psychiatric evaluation. Preliminary police investigation revealed that the suspect had a history of mental health issues, Hara said.
Law enforcement officials said the suspect had two prior arrest warrants out for misdemeanor crimes.
