A multi-hour standoff ended early Friday morning with a suspect arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department’s K9 unit.
The incident began at about 1:30 a.m. when SMPD received a call of a man creating a disturbance in the alleyway on the 1800 block of Santa Monica Blvd.
When officers arrived, they heard a noise in the alley and saw a man with a flashlight. The officer saw the outline of a rifle and backed away while ordering the suspect to drop the gun.
“We made contact and (the suspect) said ‘I have guns’ so it was unclear if he had more weapons,” said Lt. Saul Rodriguez.
The suspect ignored the instructions and barricaded himself behind the dumpsters in the alley. Santa Monica’s SWAT team responded to the situation as did trained negotiators.
After several hours, the suspect dropped the gun and tried to leave the area on foot. He continued to ignore police commands and officers deployed a K9 unit to subdue him at about 6 a.m.
“After about four and a half hours, the individual was talked into putting the rifle down and starts walking away,” said Lt. Saul Rodriguez,. “We believe he is still armed, the K9 was deployed, he was apprehended and taken in by SWAT.”
Lt. Saul Rodriguez said the gun was actually an air-soft replica that looked like a real weapon. According to Rodriguez early reports that said the suspect had entered a nearby car dealership were incorrect. The suspect is described as an African American man in his late 30’s.
More information will be made available as the investigation continues.
