Armed Suspect In Hollywood Standoff Found Dead

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A busy stretch of Hollywood Boulevard was shut down Thursday as a Los Angeles SWAT Team evacuated tourists and surrounded a motel where an armed man reportedly fired at police.

The suspect barricaded himself into a room for almost five hours Thursday afternoon, but police announced that he died at the scene shortly after 3 p.m. Officials have not yet said if his death was self-inflicted or whether there was an officer involved shooting.

Los Angeles police closed off and evacuated the busy tourist area around the 1700 block of Whitley Avenue In Hollywood. A stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between Wilcox and Cherokee avenues was also closed to traffic. Residents were advised to avoid the area.

Officers went to the Motel 6 at 1700 block of Whitley Avenue about 11 a.m., said Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison.

Police evacuated all five floors of the motel and set up a perimeter to keep people out of the area while a SWAT team was deployed. No injuries were reported.

"We received a report of a man with a gun. He went into an apartment, and it's a tactical situation," said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Liliana Preciado.

There have been unconfirmed reports of shots fired. The barricade area is just off busy Hollywood Boulevard near the Madame Tussaude Wax Museum.

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City News Service contributed to this report.