Whittier standoff with hostage ends peacefully after 12 hours

WHITTIER, Calif. (KABC) -- A man who reportedly barricaded himself in a Whittier apartment and held a woman hostage for about 12 hours peacefully surrendered Friday morning to police, officials said.

The woman was released unharmed from the apartment near Whittier Boulevard and Greenleaf Avenue shortly before 4:30 a.m. She was taken away and looked at by paramedics.

The incident began around 4 p.m. on Thursday. Police received several calls about a man and woman fighting. When officers arrived, the man barricaded himself and the woman in the apartment and knocked out the apartment windows, police said.

A SWAT team was called shortly after. Police evacuated several residents and shut down a three-block area surrounding the building. That evacuation order was lifted by 6:30 a.m. after the scene was cleared.

Authorities have not yet released the name of the suspect and motivation behind the standoff, but have said the suspect was armed with a handgun.

"It's unknown why the suspect was waiting for so long, but the crisis negotiator was able to continue dialogue with the suspect and it allowed this to end peacefully," Whittier Police Officer Brad White said.