"I heard a lot of commotion, and a lot of yelling and screaming, then I heard a pop, pop, pop," said witness Patricia Brignola.
The situation unfolded at a Motel 6 in the 1700 block of Whitley Avenue. Los Angeles police put out a shots fired call and requested assistance around 11 a.m. A SWAT team arrived and surrounded the motel, evacuating the frightened residents.
"I heard five shots ring out, so we just ran to our room. And then I heard screaming, and I heard the ambulance," said witness Jonesy Harp. "About 20 minutes later, SWAT knocked on the door and said, 'You got to go.' But there's no where for us to go. Our car is in the parking lot."
The suspect locked himself in one of the rooms on the second floor, police said. Witnesses said that's when officers moved in, evacuating the second floor.
Shortly after 3 p.m. police said the standoff was over. Officers used a robot camera to look inside the room and found the suspect dead.
Hollywood Boulevard was shut down in both directions between Wilcox and Cherokee avenues during the incident.