Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies made no arrests Wednesday evening after a man locked himself in his car, of which led to an hours-long standoff outside of a Walnut gas station. The incident occurred at the Chevron gas station located at the intersections of Amar Road and Grand Avenue, yards away from Mt. SAC.
Just before 5:00 p.m., Mt. SAC sent out a tweet urging people to avoid the immediate area. They also sent out text warnings to students who are subscribed to the warning system.
The man reportedly called 911 himself, stating that he had just committed a robbery. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department‘s Walnut-Diamond Bar station were then dispatched to the call.
Upon arrival, deputies identified a red Hyundai as the vehicle that the man was in, and quickly set up a perimeter around the vehicle and immediate areas, prompting street closures on Grand Avenue and Amar Road.
Traffic was redirected as deputies began to investigate.
At one point, deputies were seen communicating with the man using hand-written notes.
Hours after the call was first reported, at about 9:21 p.m., authorities were seen leaving the scene and had traffic in both directions opened back up, leading to confusion, as the man was still inside the vehicle.
.@SAConScene A small crowd has formed at the vehicle where a man was seen barricaded inside. The person is still in the vehicle. pic.twitter.com/itlkRkys11
— Andre Tinoco (@iamdretinoco) February 20, 2020
One witness, a student at Mt. SAC, recalled what he saw when he first arrived at the scene.
Kenny Moreno, a student at @MtSAC, recalls what he saw when he first arrived to the gas station. pic.twitter.com/WnWMA2U0Uy
— Andre Tinoco (@iamdretinoco) February 20, 2020
.@SAConScene The red Hyundai can be seen with a note on the dashboard reading, “Why is there only 3 police cars?” A witness confirmed that the two holes in the windows are from bean bags fired from Sheriff’s deputies. #Walnut pic.twitter.com/FaldJXHfjC
— Andre Tinoco (@iamdretinoco) February 20, 2020
About an hour later, the Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel arrived at the scene to check in on the man.
After a brief conversation with the man inside the vehicle, Battalion Chief Bloom of the Los Angeles County Fire Department spoke to the media, saying “This is no longer a law enforcement matter.”
.@SAConScene UPDATE: Battalion Chief Bloom of the @LACOFD spoke to the media moments ago. “This is no longer a law enforcement matter.” #Walnut pic.twitter.com/CidvZ227nt
— Andre Tinoco (@iamdretinoco) February 20, 2020
