A report of a woman with a gun and shots heard Wednesday caused police to conduct a floor-by-floor search and eventually deal with a barricaded suspect in one unit of a downtown Los Angeles apartment building.
The call came in at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Broadway Palace, a multi-story building on Broadway near Olympic Boulevard and Ninth Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Witnesses told reporters at the scene that they heard multiple shots.
No victims were found, police said, and an LAPD spokesman at the scene said he could not confirm a report that rifle shell casings were found on an upper floor.
Police declared a tactical alert at about 8 a.m., requiring officers to remain on duty, and the initial closure of Broadway between Ninth Street and Olympic Boulevard was widened to include Eight and Ninth streets between Hill and Main streets.
Buses were being detoured around the area, but service was expected to be back to normal by 1 p.m., according to LA Metro.
The LAPD issued a statement saying the search was being conducted “out of an abundance of caution,” but later, Capt. James Bland told reporters at the scene that a SWAT team was being called in to deal with the suspect, who was believed to be barricaded inside one of the building’s units.
Area residents were asked to shelter in place.
At around 12:30 p.m., officers took one suspect into custody and the all-clear was given, according to the LAPD.