Pursuit suspect faced charges of stalking, threatening ex-girlfriend

The suspect in the high-speed pursuit and standoff Monday in North Hollywood faced seven counts of criminal threats and stalking against his ex-girlfriend when he fled, according to prosecutors.

The barricade situation lasted more than four hours and caused blocks of North Hollywood -- and several schools -- to go on lockdown as police flooded the area.

Three officers standing on roofs next to the home fired gas into the Hartsook Street residence about 3 p.m. The suspect walked out of the house, and following police instructions, lay on the ground. Two dogs that were apparently with him also exited the home, watching as police took the man into custody.

The southbound lanes of the 170 Freeway south of Interstate 5 were closed this afternoon as police looked for possible shell casings related to the chase.

The suspect was identified by prosecutors as Nolan Perez, 41. He had been charged with seven counts of making criminal threats and stalking his ex-girlfriend several times between May 19 and June 6.

The allegations included a threat to commit violence that would result in death or bodily injury for the woman, court records show.

Perez, according to court records, is a second-strike offender who has served state prison time. He previously was convicted of being a felon with a firearm in 2007, negligently discharging a firearm in 1997 and causing corporal injury to a spouse or loved one in 2011.

As of last August, he was on a parole and being supervised in the San Fernando Valley.

Police responded to the ex-girlfriend’s home Monday in El Sereno after Perez was spotted sitting outside, police said.

Police tried to arrest him, and that’s when the pursuit began.

Perez allegedly went on a high-speed chase on the 10 Freeway and made his way to the 101 Freeway and the northbound 110 Freeway. He eventually drove onto northbound Interstate 5 near downtown, with Los Angeles police and California Highway Patrol cars in pursuit.

Perez jumped out of his car around 11:30 a.m. and started running through the neighborhood off Magnolia Boulevard, police said.

He was seen walking through backyards in North Hollywood, then standing on the roof of a home. He then entered an empty home.

A woman who lives on Hartsook Street said in a phone interview that she feared for her safety.

Franklin Hanock, 80, has lived on Hartsook for 53 years, and said the area is generally quiet. With police swarming the area, Hanock said he was monitoring events.

“We are prepared for things that are going on and we are armed if necessary,” he said.

The police perimeter was Magnolia Boulevard to the north, Otsego Street to the south, Irvine Avenue to the east and Colfax Avenue to the west.

The Magnolia Boulevard exit of the 170 Freeway was also closed.

April Gutierrez, 47, lives about a half mile from where police have blocked traffic at Magnolia Boulevard. She was at the North Hollywood Park with her dog moments before she heard sirens and someone on a bullhorn yell, “He’s got a gun!”

Tamrah Land, 22, lives a flew blocks from the standoff. She was pedaling her scooter to North Hollywood Park when she asked someone what was going on, looking up at the hovering helicopters above the 101 Freeway near Magnolia Boulevard.

“I’m not surprised by how the world is going. It’s funny I don’t feel scared. That says something about our society,” she said.

Times staff writers Howard Blume, Alicia Banks and Kate Mather contributed to this report.