This post was updated Sept. 2 at 12:43 p.m.
Over 15 police vehicles – including an LAPD helicopter – responded to a standoff in Westwood on Tuesday morning that caused traffic delays.
The incident began around 7 a.m. and involved a gray Ford Bronco at the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Montana Avenue. Around 20 officers surrounded the vehicle and used amplified sound to speak to the person inside, saying, “Stand down with your hands up.”
ABC7 reported that police responded to reports of a person screaming in Bel Air shortly before 7 a.m. The suspect – who appeared to be a blonde-haired woman – was still inside the vehicle as of 9:30 a.m. despite police requests to exit.
Additional officers arrived around 9:30 a.m. and pointed what appeared to be assault rifles at the vehicle. Three armored vehicles surrounded the suspect’s vehicle at 10 a.m.
LAPD officers detained the suspect at the intersection at 10:45 a.m. They threatened to deploy gas and less-than-lethal munitions prior to the suspect’s detention.
Three other helicopters – including those used by media organizations – also hovered above Westwood for over an hour.
Traffic was blocked in both directions on Sepulveda Boulevard. Vehicles on the affected blocks were diverted to the surrounding streets.
Montana Avenue and part of Sepulveda Boulevard reopened to the public around 11 a.m.
LAPD did not respond in time to a request for comment. A UCPD spokesperson said in an emailed statement that they did not have any information on the standoff at this time.
