A nine-hour standoff ended Wednesday morning when a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team stormed a Van Nuys house and used a Taser to subdue a heavily armed female former LAPD civilian employee suspected of domestic violence, authorities said.
Officers recovered at least six weapons, including an M-16, said Capt. Lillian L. Carranza, the Van Nuys Division area commander, adding they are checking the ownership records via a federal database.
The standoff started shortly after 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, and negotiators talked with the woman throughout the night, Carranza said. At 6:40 a.m., SWAT officers fired at least 20 tear-gas canisters into the small home at 14965 Lemay St., but they failed to drive out the woman. Police swarmed the house about two hours later.
• Video: Capt. Lillian L. Carranza explains Van Nuys barricade situation
“She was very angry and belligerent when we took her into custody,” said LAPD spokesman Capt. Andy Neiman of the suspect. “She still had a lot of fight in her.”
That she endured so much tear gas surprised the police and reporters on scene. “In my 25 years, I have never seen anyone take gas at this level,” Carranza said.
The woman’s only injuries appeared to be puncture wounds from the small Taser darts, though she was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
The victim, an LAPD employee said to be her boyfriend, received minor injuries and was being interviewed at the Van Nuys station, authorities said.
• PHOTOS: SWAT standoff at Van Nuys home
Signs of trouble surfaced Tuesday morning, when officers were called to the house. No action was taken at that time. “We were not able to determine a crime had been committed,” Carranza said.
Officer Will Gutierrez was one of the first units on scene Wednesday and encountered the man on the sidewalk.
“The male victim came out and appeared calm,” Gutierrez said. “We stayed with him and interviewed him. He appeared to be the victim of domestic violence. He had some scratches.”
Another unit took the man to the Van Nuys station, while Gutierrez and his partner worked to coax the woman out. She did not respond.
Shortly thereafter, a SWAT team arrived with crisis negotiators and a mental evaluation unit whose message was simple. “We told her we’re here to help her,” Carranza said. “Obviously something went wrong.”
When the suspect was removed, officers found two dogs at the home, and they were taken to the West Valley Animal Shelter, Carranza said.
The suspect’s identity will be released when she is booked, but her boyfriend’s identity will not be made public. “(Identities of) victims of domestic violence are protected,” Neiman said.
Next-door neighbor Gail Barden recalled hearing yelling at the home on Tuesday morning, shortly before police arrived.
“They came and knocked on my door at 2 a.m. and said I had to evacuate. The police were in front of my house taking pictures of (the victim’s) face.”
Barden, retired from the Walt Disney Co., sheltered in two different squad cars for four hours and watched the saga unfold. “I heard one of the negotiators. He was saying, ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Why don’t you just come out?”
All evacuated residents were allowed back in shortly after the arrest, Neiman said.
