LOS ANGELES – A man was taken into custody after barricading inside a vehicle on the steps of LA City Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
What we know:
LAPD officers responded to the area just after 4 p.m. after receiving reports of a car that drove onto the property.
Investigators say the driver appeared to act deliberately, prompting officers to establish a perimeter.
The man barricaded himself inside the car which was on the sidewalk in front of the steps of City Hall.
“The person was refusing to come out. Due to that and some unusual writing inside the vehicle we had potential for a barricade, so we called some additional resources here,” said LAPD Captain Amira Eppolito.
Just before 6 p.m., the man eventually exited the vehicle and surrendered to police.
Video from SkyFOX showed two signs on the windshield, which said “I NEED UR HELP D TRUMP U.S. VET.” and “Don’t Want To Hurt No Body.”
“It was kind of hard to determine but there was one sign about not wanting to hurt someone, so that caused a little concern about what that meant,” Eppolito added.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that there were no reports of weapons or suspicious devices, but they did find an oxygen tank inside the car.
The area near Grand Park and City Hall was evacuated as a precaution. A representative for Mayor Karen Bass’s office said the mayor was not at City Hall when the incident occurred.
The Source: Information for this story came from the Los Angeles Police Department.
