Armed Robbery Forces Hours-Long Ventura Blvd. Closure In Tarzana

TARZANA, CA — Los Angeles police have surrounded a building on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana where four armed robbers were believed to be inside holding hostages, but no one was found inside when officers made entry nearly seven hours later.

Ventura Boulevard was closed for hours. Officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in the 18300 block of Ventura Boulevard at 1:37 p.m. Monday, said LAPD Spokesman Officer Jeff Lee. Reports from the scene indicated the robbery occurred at a business where marijuana is sold.

"Suspects were still inside the location, so we set up a containment on that," he said shortly after the standoff began. "It sounds like maybe there is a possible hostage situation, but we are still trying to determine that."

One man was taken into custody outside the building, which has several business tenants, but he was released after questioning, police said.

Officers evacuated the building and a SWAT team was called in, according to Officer Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.

A male suspect was believed to be holed up inside the building, possibly along with a female who was either a hostage or a suspect, police said.

Two other male suspects were outstanding and thought to possibly be inside the building as well, but when the SWAT team made entry about 8:20 p.m., no one was found inside the building, Lopez said.

"There was some initial phone conversations that took place with a female who detectives, at the time, believed was inside this illegal medical marijuana dispensary," LAPD Sgt. Hector Guzman told KCAL9. "As we know now, she was not. So when the SWAT went in there and served the search warrant, they determined there were no people inside of that business."

Four suspects, all male, were outstanding, police said.

"Whenever there is an armed robbery that occurs, whenever there are four suspects still outstanding, we have detectives working this crime 24/7 to get these people off the streets as soon as we can," Guzman told KCAL9.

The stretch of Ventura Boulevard near the building was closed during the investigation.

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