Man Held After Police Find Woman’s Body

An eight-hour standoff in the restroom of a park in Lincoln Heights ended when authorities stormed in and found a man and the body of a woman.

The body, which has not been identified, showed signs of injury, authorities said.

Police also withheld the name of the man. But authorities have one intriguing lead: A car stolen a few hours earlier near skid row with a gun inside was found next to the restroom at Lincoln Park.

A Los Angeles police SWAT team used flash-bang devices and tear gas Friday to flush the man out.

He was questioned about the woman’s death but had not been arrested.

LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon said a skid row security guard told authorities he had left his car with a gun inside for a few minutes about 7:30 p.m. Thursday when two people stole the compact.

About 3 a.m., city general services employees found the car with its trunk open at Lincoln Park. As they were impounding the car, Vernon said, one of them went to use the restroom.

When the employee tried to open the single-stall restroom door, Vernon said, he heard a gun cock and man’s voice warn that he was armed.

The SWAT team was called to the scene and negotiations began, he said.

Shortly after noon, SWAT team members entered the small bathroom, took the man into custody and found the woman’s body.

Vernon said it had not been determined how or where the woman was killed or whether the car was related to the man arrested.

Vernon said the woman appeared to have been dead for some time, but he could not be specific.

She had suffered unspecified injuries. A gun was recovered inside the bathroom.