Man gives up after 10-hour standoff
A man wearing body armor, who was wanted for alleged car theft and firing a gun at police officers, barricaded himself in an Arleta home for 10 hours before surrendering Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
Robert Valdez, 27, allegedly fired at officers from the house on Bracken Street and withstood several rounds of tear gas from Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officers.
“He decided to walk out, after which he was arrested without incident,” said Officer Mike Lopez.
Valdez is an alleged gang member suspected by police in several car thefts and an attempted carjacking in the area.
On Friday he allegedly stole a Chevrolet Tahoe at gunpoint from the United Auto Mart in the east San Fernando Valley.
He was spotted by police around 1 a.m. Saturday and fled in the SUV, leading officers on a chase, at one point driving south on northbound Interstate 5, Lopez said.
“During the pursuit, he fired at officers numerous times, but none of the officers was hurt,” Lopez said.
Police said the chase ended about 2 a.m. when Valdez crashed the stolen car, broke into one home, scrambled out a back window, then broke into the Bracken Street home, occupied by a couple.
The couple managed to escape from the house without being harmed.
The incident snarled traffic in the area, and a SigAlert was issued for the Branford Street offramp of the I-5 at 3:40 a.m. for the police investigation, according to Officer Patrick Kimball of the California Highway Patrol.
*
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
