Man Wages Police Standoff After Allegedly Igniting Fire At Inglewood Motel
INGLEWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A 37-year-old man allegedly set fire to his motel room, climbed down the outside of the building and waged a standoff with Inglewood police for several hours.
Danny Harley, of Compton, was arrested on suspicion of arson and placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold, Inglewood police Lt. Neil Cochran said.
Officers were called to the Motel 6 at 5101 West Century Boulevard around 10 p.m., according to Sgt. Jeff Steinhoff.
Someone had called in to report loud banging coming from a room on the ninth floor and that the person inside would not open the door.
When police arrived, the suspect allegedly set fire to the room and climbed down the building, moving from balcony to balcony, Steinhoff said.
The L.A. County Fire Department responded and put out the fire, which had activated the motel's sprinkler system and prompted guests to evacuate.
The fire was contained to one room.
Meanwhile, officers cornered the suspect on a second floor balcony and talked him into surrendering.
During the standoff, the suspect threatened to harm himself and held a knife to his throat, a news photographer at the scene told City News Service. The photographer also claimed the man, at one point, smoked a marijuana joint.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
