A man suspected of sexual assault was arrested early Monday after he barricaded himself on the movie lot of Hollywood’s Paramount Studios and got into a shootout with police.
The 90-minute standoff included a shootout with an officer near the Paramount lot’s famous arched front gate on Melrose Avenue. The suspect was bleeding when he was arrested, but it wasn’t known whether he had been shot, Meghan Aguilar, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Police Department said early Monday.
The incident began Sunday night when officers from the Fullerton Police Department tried to arrest the suspect in Los Angeles, Aguilar said. They used a taser on the suspect but called in backup from the LAPD when the suspect pulled out a knife.
According to Aguilar, LAPD officers used a bean bag launcher on the suspect — which police describe as a less-lethal option — but it wasn’t effective, as the man ran toward the main gate of the studio on Melrose ave.
The suspect eventually ran onto the lot and barricaded himself inside one of the buildings, where he stayed for about two hours.
After a few hours of attempted negotiation, police swarmed the building and took the man into custody at around 12:15 a.m. Monday, police said.
“The suspect was bleeding from wounds he sustained during the incident and was transported to a local hospital. No officers were injured,” LAPD HQ tweeted.
No officers were wounded. The suspect’s name was not released during the briefing. LAPD said the suspect is facing criminal charges.