Man drives vehicle onto LA City Hall steps, surrenders to police

A man drove a vehicle onto the front steps of Los Angeles City Hall shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, barricaded himself inside and prompted a precautionary evacuation of the building and nearby streets before surrendering to police about two hours later, officials said.

The Los Angeles Police Department responded to reports of a traffic collision on Spring Street just after 4 p.m. and found the car on the sidewalk in front of City Hall, LAPD spokesperson Charles Miller said. Officers attempted to make contact with the driver, who initially refused to exit, and requested SWAT to establish communications. The California Highway Patrol sent units to close freeway offramps leading into downtown while streets around the municipal building remained shut as the scene was secured.

Mayor Karen Bass said she had been briefed on the incident and that City Hall was being evacuated out of an abundance of caution. "I want to thank all first responders who are at the scene my office will continue to monitor the situation," she wrote on social media. After the standoff ended she posted a follow up saying the suspect was in custody and that the LAPD bomb squad was on scene.