Man armed with ax taken into custody after standoff at Carson car wash, authorities say

CARSON, Calif. (KABC) -- A man was taken into custody Tuesday after he barricaded himself inside a Carson car wash while armed with an ax, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies said they responded to the Aquamax Carwash in the 16100 block of South Avalon Boulevard after receiving reports of a man threatening employees with an ax at about noon.

Witnesses told deputies the incident sparked after an argument between the suspect and an employee. The suspect was later identified by the sheriff's department as 51-year-old Nicholas Sadaka.

Deputies said Sadaka, a former employee who had been fired, swung the ax at employees and broke a window.

The employees ran out of the car wash to flee the suspect and called law enforcement.

According to the sheriff's department, Sadaka barricaded himself on a second floor loft area of the business and refused to come out. An houslong standoff ensued between the suspect and a SWAT team that was summoned to the scene.

Shortly after 5 p.m., authorities announced on Twitter that Sadaka had surrendered.

No one was injured during the incident, the sheriff's department said.