Incident Began in Bel-Air, Shut Down Major Traffic Routes on Sepulveda
The Los Angeles Police Department ended a nearly four-hour standoff Tuesday morning after a nude woman barricaded herself in an SUV and refused to surrender, authorities said.
Officers first responded just after dawn to the 11000 block of Ovada Place in Bel-Air following reports of a woman screaming, according to the LAPD. Fire crews were also dispatched on a report of a stabbing, but found no victim.
By 7:00 a.m., police were pursuing the woman’s Ford Bronco, which stopped after a two-minute pursuit on South Sepulveda Boulevard near Montana Avenue in Westwood. The standoff closed traffic in both directions, backing up commuters for hours.
During the incident, the woman was seen moving into the backseat with a small dog, at one point tossing a hammer out of the car. Armored vehicles surrounded the SUV as police negotiators tried to convince her to surrender.
The standoff ended around 10:45 a.m. when the woman exited the vehicle through a window, crawled across the roof and hood, and climbed down to the street. According to Fox 11 News, the woman refused to leave the car until the police were ready to use tear gas to get her out of the car, and officers wrapped her in a length of cloth as she was apprehended.
Her identity has not been released, and police have not said whether she will face charge
