Police received a call at about 6:45 p.m. of a man who was on the roof of the Sunland gas station in Sun Valley. He would stay up there for hours, as police tried to coax him down.
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At one point, they shot him with a Taser as AIR7 HD's Chris Christi was overhead.
It didn't work and the standoff continued. The man showed erratic behavior up there, breaking the light on the fire department's ladder and several times cleaning out the gutters of the Food Mart.
Finally, a friend was called in and arrived on the scene to help.
"I had to come here and, you know, just be there for him. I care for him, and that's a loved one. I'll be there for him no matter what," said Ignacio Navarrette.
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Navarrette convinced his friend, known as "Skins," to make his way down from the roof peacefully. He allowed officers to approach but resisted a bit while being handcuffed.
Finally, he was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.
"It's hard because his family's gone, and I know he feels left out, but I'm still here for him. I'll still be there for him. I'm homeless myself but it is what it is, we make the best out of it," Navarrette said. "I'm better feeling I can see him another day and not see a funeral or burial or anything like that."
Los Angeles police said they suspected the man on the roof is mentally ill or likely on drugs. He will likely be booked on charges of vandalism, authorities said.