ABC7 studio, part of Disney campus briefly locked down

Police dogs are searching yard-to-yard in a West Glendale neighborhood for four possibly armed and dangerous burglary suspects who engaged officers in a brief car chase before fleeing on foot into an area near ABC7 studios, officials said.

The television studio has been locked down, as has a portion of the nearby Disney campus, while police search for the four men, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

[UPDATED 2:50 p.m.: Police have started lifting lockdown orders on buildings in the area after three suspects were arrested a short time ago.]

Residents who live in the neighborhood of Circle Seven Drive and Paula Avenue reported seeing the men run through their home backyards, he added.

“We are asking people to keep their doors locked,” Lorenz said.

Police officials have set up a perimeter around the studios, the Golden State (5) Freeway, Circle Seven Drive and Sonora Avenue. A police helicopter is patrolling the area for the men.

Burbank police and California Highway Patrol officers are also monitoring the area.

Officers from the Special Enforcement Detail spotted the men running out of a home on the 1200 block of North Everett Street and into a vehicle, Lorenz said.
Police were monitoring the neighborhood due to a recent rash of residential burglaries in the area. In some of the home break-ins, handguns were reported stolen, Lorenz said.

The men eventually stopped on Circle Seven Drive following a brief car chase on the Ventura (134) Freeway when they reached a dead end. They exited their vehicle and ran into the Verdugo Wash and along the Golden State (5) Freeway, Lorenz said.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA