Armed Man Prompts Evacuation Of Popular West Hollywood Gay Club

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA — Authorities spent the morning searching for a man, who reportedly flashed a gun inside a popular West Hollywood gay bar Thursday.

Coming less than a month after a gunman opened fire at an LGBTQI club in Colorado and just days after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a nationwide law enforcement bulletin warning of domestic extremists targeting minority communities, the incident caused a scare.

At about midnight, The Abbey's security team reported an armed man inside the club to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's West Hollywood Station.

Deputies evacuated The Abbey and swarmed the club but did not find him. Authorities said surveillance video captured images of the suspect in the bar with the weapon.

``We do have our EPT team, which is our entertainment policing team -- they're always doing patrol checks at all the businesses on Sunset and Santa Monica, so that's why we got here within seconds," Sgt. Joana Warren told ABC 7.

No one was injured in the incident.

Last week, he Department of Homeland Security issued a nationwide law enforcement bulletin Wednesday warning of possible threats targeting LGBTQ communities among several groups. Specifically referencing the LGBTQ community, the bulletin pointed to the deadly shooting at the Club Q nightclub in Colorado Springs.

"Targets of potential violence include public gatherings, faith-based institutions, the LGBTQI+ community, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents," the bulletin warned.

SEE ALSO: Jewish, LGBTQI Communities Face Increased Terrorist Threat, U.S. Warns

Los Angeles police and the Los Angeles LGBT Center vowed vigilance in response. Authorities offered no evidence Thursday that the incident at The Abbey was linked to domestic extremism.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.