Crime & Safety

Knife-Wielding Woman Holed Up In Valley Hospital Bathroom During Tense Standoff: LAPD

A knife-wielding woman engaged in a standoff in a Valley hospital's emergency room early Wednesday morning.

LOS ANGELES, CA — An armed woman was arrested after a nearly three-hour standoff at a San Fernando Valley hospital early Wednesday morning, according to police.

The incident began at around 12:45 a.m. at Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City. The 38-year-old woman was at the emergency room complaining of chest pain when she began making threats toward staff, ABC 7 reported.

The woman pulled out a 4-inch blade and told a security guard she was going to stab him. She then barricaded herself inside a bathroom, according to the station.

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The Los Angeles Police Department was called in and officers responded just before 2 a.m. The SWAT team arrived after 3 a.m., where they joined officers outside the hospital, according to the LAPD.

Members of an LAPD Special Weapons and Tactics team took the suspect into custody at 5:42 a.m., LAPD Officer Charles Miller said. Officers were able to take her into custody after breaching the restroom, KTLA reported.

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City News Service contributed to this report.

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