A woman who claimed to have a bomb in front of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles was taken into custody after a standoff with police, who called for the building’s evacuation on Wednesday.
The incident began about noon outside the building located in the 300 block of North Los Angeles Street (map) when authorities responded to a suspicious package call, according to Officer Tony Im with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Video showed a woman with a backpack standing on the steps of the building and shouting to authorities, some of whom remained behind a vehicle with guns drawn.
The woman claimed she had an explosive device — a bomb in her backpack and a detonator in her right hand, police said.
The building was evacuated and a bomb squad was called, Officer Jack Richter of the Police Department said.
Just before 1 p.m., four armored trucks were stationed outside the building where the woman was seated on the steps, aerial video from Sky5 showed.
A bomb squad robot approached the woman and brought her a yellow box, apparently to deliver a phone so authorities could communicate with her.
The woman was eventually taken into custody and the building was cleared, the LAPD tweeted at about 2:30 p.m. She was shot with a beanbag firearm, police on scene said.
“She was incoherent, possibly suffering from some type of mental illness,” LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said. “We did what we could and to try to de-escalated her … contain her … and ultimately take her into custody.”
There was no immediate word on what the woman actually had in her backpack.
The Los Angeles Street off ramps from the 101 Freeway were closed during the standoff, Officer Monica Posada of the California Highway Patrol said.
KTLA’s Melissa Pamer contributed to this article.
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