Man who held son hostage inside Hyde Park home surrenders

HYDE PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A man who barricaded himself for hours and held his son hostage inside his Hyde Park home Sunday morning has surrendered to police.

Authorities believed he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have been armed. He was taken into custody on suspicion of child endangerment.

Shortly before 9 a.m., Los Angeles police received a call from a neighbor about vandalism in the 5800 block of Eighth Avenue. Upon arrival, a 30-year-old man locked himself in a home with his son.

A SWAT team was dispatched to the area.

The man told officers he was armed and his 6-year-old son was in the home. At about 2:30 p.m., the child was released and was taken into police custody.

Neighbor Michael Davidson said he was shocked the man would involve his son.

"He was a doting father that's why it was shocking he was taken hostage," Davidson said.

Officers negotiated with the suspect for several hours and used gas. At about 4 p.m., the suspect surrendered himself to police.

An older couple lives in the home and runs a foster home. The suspect and his son lived in the garage. The relationship between the two families was unclear.

City News Service contributed to this report.