Fear of Hostage Incident Delays Blue Line Trains for 2 Hours

Fearful that a masked gunman had taken hostages at a Willowbrook post office, authorities closed a portion of El Segundo Boulevard on Monday and halted Blue Line service for two hours during the morning commute in a futile attempt to arrest the suspect, who had apparently slipped out a backdoor.

The drama began about 8:20 a.m. at 2241 El Segundo Blvd., shortly before the post office opened. Four employees--who had just arrived at work--found a man lying in the doorway and asked him to move, said a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The man got up and began to walk away, then turned and ran in after them, pushing one woman to the floor. She suffered minor scrapes on her face and legs.

The gunman, who police believe intended to hold up the post office, then forced a male employee to his knees. In the confusion, several employees ran outside, including the injured woman. The fourth employee locked herself in an office inside the building, where she called police.

Venancio Felix, who works at a dry cleaners across the street from the post office, said two workers ran into the business in a frantic attempt to find a phone. “They were saying, ‘Call the police, call the police,’ ” Felix said. “They said, ‘There’s a man with a gun.’ ”

The Sheriff’s Department deployed its Special Enforcement Bureau and closed the area around El Segundo Boulevard at Willowbrook Avenue, including several blocks of railroad tracks.

The Blue Line trains were stopped in both directions, generating numerous complaints from commuters who ride the busy line from Long Beach to Los Angeles.

Northbound trains were stopped at the Compton station, forcing passengers to wait well over an hour to be taken by bus to the Imperial Highway station.

“They promised us buses in 10 minutes. That was 25 minutes ago,” said Ramona Geniesse, who was hoping to catch the Green Line at Imperial to take her to a meeting in El Segundo at 11:45 a.m.

Antonio Cabrera, part of the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s accident response team, directed passengers off the buses and onto the trains. Trying to explain why the trains were stopped for a police incident blocks away, he said, “There may be a shootout, a train could be passing, a bullet could hit something.”

About 10:30 a.m., the sheriff’s team exploded a diversion “flash-bang” grenade at the post office and stormed in, only to find the suspect gone.

Authorities said they found some property stolen from the post office at a nearby apartment, but would not say what the items were.

Times staff writer Doug Shuit contributed to this report.