At about 5:30 p.m. today, Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man holed up in his condo at 999 North Doheny Drive who allegedly had been firing a gun and had been throwing his belongings out of the window and off the balcony of his second-floor unit.
Deputies were alerted to the incident around noon and summoned the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Weapons Team and a crisis negotiation team. Sunset Boulevard was closed in both directions from San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood to Corey Avenue in Beverly Hills. North- and southbound traffic was blocked on Doheny from Sunset to Phyllis Avenue.
The man arrested has yet to be identified. Capt. Sergio Aloma of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station said a criminal investigation would begin now that he is in custody.
The man was said by neighbors to suffer from a mental illness and to have upset others in the building by his behavior at other times. Officials said the standoff may have stemmed from a landlord/tenant dispute.
Reports from the scene indicated the man was nude and had thrown numerous objects from a first or second-floor apartment and fired shots during the standoff, but no injuries were reported.
Too bad this man didn’t get the help he needed before it came to this. I’m very glad no one was hurt. Mental illness is often overlooked until something serious happens. I hope he get the help he needs.
I’m glad that this mentally-ill person wasn’t just executed by the police/sheriffs as has happened in incidences around the country. However, the resulting mess from hours of standoff was a pain in the ass to everyone driving through West Hollywood as well as residents. While this was an isolated incident, it demonstrated in dramatic form what happens to the Norma Triangle area when Sunset is blocked. Cynthia St. was jammed the entire afternoon and into the even rush hour – bumper to bumper with lots of exasperated and angry drivers. Phyllis, a tiny one-way street was being used as a… Read more »
Measured and reasonable. Hope you/we get our lights and sign.