Los Angeles police say a man pulled out a gun during an argument with a woman Tuesday night, and then barricaded himself inside a home on the 700 block of South Meyler Street.
At about 10 a.m., officers made their move. They used flash-bang grenades to distract the suspect, and used non-lethal beanbag pellets to take the suspect into custody.
The suspect, described as a 61-year-old, had come to the San Pedro residence to visit his cousin. The suspect got into an argument with his cousin's female roommate. Authorities say the argument may have stemmed from how that woman was treating the suspect's cousin.
The argument escalated, and the victim said the suspect fired a shot at her with "some type of long gun." That's when she fled and called police at about 8 p.m. Tuesday.
SWAT officers surrounded the home and hostage negotiators were able to communicate with the gunman and his cousin. LAPD says the cousin was not being held hostage and there was no threat to her.
Authorities used flash-bang grenades through the night to keep the suspect awake. The idea was that the suspect would become fatigued and would surrender. That tactic appeared to succeed by Wednesday morning.
"We were able to take the individual into custody without further incident and were able to take the female that was inside the residence without injury," said LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez, who added that investigators will interview the suspect's cousin.
Neighbors who know the suspect say he was only trying to help his cousin, who they say was in need of some sort of medical care. The suspect now faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
