LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Two men were arrested Wednesday after a report of shots heard caused police to conduct a floor-by-floor search and eventually deal with barricaded suspects in a downtown Los Angeles apartment building.
The call came in at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Broadway Palace, a multi-story building on Broadway near Olympic Boulevard and Ninth Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Witnesses told reporters at the scene that they heard multiple shots.
No victims were found, police said, and an LAPD spokesman dispatched to the location said he could not confirm an early report that rifle shell casings were found on an upper floor.
Police declared a tactical alert at about 8 a.m., requiring officers to remain on duty, and the initial closure of Broadway between Ninth Street and Olympic Boulevard was widened to include Eight and Ninth streets between Hill and Main streets.
Buses were being detoured around the area, according to LA Metro.
Officers in sniper positions could be seen on a nearby building and a drone was also seen hovering above the building’s roof during the investigation.
The LAPD intially issued a statement saying the search was being conducted “out of an abundance of caution,” but later, Capt. Mike Bland told reporters at the scene that a SWAT team was being called in to deal with suspects who were believed to be barricaded inside one of the building’s units.
At around 12:30 p.m., officers took two suspects, both men, into custody and the all-clear was given, according to the LAPD.
Area residents had been asked to shelter in place throughout the ordeal.
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