Local News in Brief : Youth Gives Up After Standoff With Police
A teen-ager believed to have mental problems stemming from drug use held police at bay for more than two hours Sunday morning as he hurled bricks, bottles and boards at officers from the roof of a Chatsworth business.
The 17-year-old boy surrendered to authorities about 8:40 a.m. after ignoring orders from police to come down from the building, Sgt. David Johnson said.
A caller who said the teen-ager had a gun summoned officers to Del West Engineering Co., in the 9400 block of Irondale Avenue, about 6:20 a.m., police said.
After police arrived, Johnson said, the youth threatened to jump from the one-story building and began pelting police with objects on the roof. At one point, the teen-ager threw several bricks at a police helicopter responding to the incident, police said.
Nine police units were at the scene, trying to coax the youth off the roof, Johnson said.
The youth apparently had mental problems caused by several years of drug use, authorities said. He was muttering nonsensical statements when he surrendered, police said.
No one was injured during the incident. The youth was taken to Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar for observation. He will not be charged, Johnson said.
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