Apartment Dwellers Get Scary Wake-Up Call

The sound of an alarm clock Friday morning caused a Chatsworth man to fire several rifle shots into a neighbor’s apartment and barricade himself inside his bedroom before surrendering to police five hours later, authorities said.

John LeGette, 46, was arrested on suspicion of discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner after a morning-long standoff with a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team. There were no injuries.

Police officers shot about 10 rounds of tear gas into LeGette’s apartment in the 21000 block of Lassen Street at about 10 a.m. and an hour later ordered him to walk toward the front window because he had used Super Glue to seal his door shut. Police then forced their way into the apartment and arrested LeGette, who was being held on $50,000 bail.

Neighbor John Dickson, who lives next door to LeGette, said he and the suspect have had an ongoing dispute for the past three years. LeGette was becoming more upset over any noise coming from Dickson’s apartment, he said, and Friday’s trouble began at about 5:45 a.m. when his alarm clock sounded.

“I thought my television had exploded because I heard glass breaking,” Dickson said. “But that’s when I realized there were gunshots coming through my wall and he wasn’t going to stop firing.”

Dickson crawled to his front door and ran downstairs to the apartment manager’s office. Most residents, such as Nancy Rich, who lives directly below LeGette’s apartment, were getting ready for work when shots rang out.

“I’ve heard loud noises coming from his apartment before, like banging on the walls and yelling,” Rich said. “There is no mistaking that sound. I just ran.”

More than 50 displaced residents, some wearing bathrobes, watched as a SWAT team entered the complex about 8 a.m. after closing the street between DeSoto and Variel avenues. Police attempted to make contact with LeGette but he did not answer his phone.

Police shot the tear gas into his apartment, but LeGette still did not respond.

“We saw him walking around with a towel around his head,” said Capt. Joseph Curreri, of the LAPD’s Devonshire Division.

After police forced their way into the apartment and arrested LeGette, investigators discovered two boxes inside, one labeled “Do Not Touch.” No explosives were found.

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Neighbors described LeGette as a loner who liked to drink alcohol and collect rifles. Police said he once worked as a geologist but that he was currently unemployed.

Curreri said LeGette did not have an extensive criminal record but had a drunken driving conviction.

Apartment manager Mary Thompson said LeGette had lived at the complex for four or five years and always paid his rent on time. Although he never caused any problems, she said she was aware of the dispute with Dickson.

“I know there was a misunderstanding, but it didn’t seem like anything real serious,” she said. “I know [LeGette] was upset that John [Dickson] would bring over his kids or play his music. I’ve been an apartment manager for 19 years and have never seen anything to this extent.”