Suspect in custody after Studio City police standoff

STUDIO CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A police standoff in Studio City that forced an evacuation early Wednesday morning ended with a man in custody.

LAPD officers responded to the 12500 block of Landale Street about 3:30 a.m. Officers say the man, possibly facing foreclosure, refused to leave his home.

"We came out to the location. We had been here about a month prior. The individual had made some threats," said LAPD Lt. Bob Toledo.

His threats were serious, written on the entryway to the home and aimed at authorities. When tied to a suicide threat posted on the Internet, police had to be cautious.

One sign posted on a gate read, "If you are here to take my house I hope you said goodbye to your family this morning."

Police went to the scene and began to evacuate people in a two- or or three-block radius around the house because they first thought it was a gas leak, Richter said.

The bomb squad robot was the first to enter the home, and moments later, the man inside came running out.

"As he ran out the back of the house ... we were able to apprehend him," Toledo said.

The suspect wrote more messages on his roof directing people to his website, which talked about a dispute with one of the big banks and the foreclosure of his home.

The suspect is being charged with making criminal threats.

Authorities say no dangerous gas leak was found. Streets were reopened, and residents were allowed back in their homes just after 9 a.m.

City News Service contributed to this report.