LAPD Standoff With Armed Man Forces Evacuation

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles police have evacuated a block in the San Fernando Valley as they try to negotiate with an armed man holed up inside his apartment.

Sgt. Rudolph Valadez says the standoff began after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday when officers responded to reports that the suspect had threatened people who were making repairs in his Van Nuys apartment with a handgun.

When officers tried to contact him, Valadez says the man refused to come out. The sergeant says police evacuated the apartment complex and surrounding buildings on the block. A SWAT team was called to try to talk to the man and assess his mental state.