Suicidal Man Surrenders After Reported Gas Leak In Studio City Prompts Evacuations
STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — A man surrendered to police Wednesday after allegedly threatening to use carbon monoxide gas during a suicide attempt, which prompted evacuations in Studio City.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Division, officers were sent around 3:30 a.m. to a home in the 12500 block of Landale Street for report of a possible suicide threat made by a man in a YouTube video that was posted to social media.
"But there was no gas leak," according to LAPD spokesman Officer Jack Richter. "Apparently, a resident had set up a generator in his home, began running it and police were called."
Police went to the scene and began to evacuate people in a two-or-three-block radius around the house because they first thought it was a gas leak, Richter said.
"The generator was connected to the hose that went into the house," added Lt. Bob Toledo. "Carbon monoxide was coming in, and it looks like the generator ran out of gas."
Police said the suspect was being evicted from his home this week.
The man in his 40s surrendered to police shortly after 8:30 a.m. when he ran outside the back of his home.
A note containing a warning message that read "If you are here to take my house I hope you said goodbye to your family this morning" was posted to the front door of the home.
A message written on the roof of the house read "WF-bank-fraud.blogspot.com", which is a website apparently linked to the homeowner that alleges Wells Fargo opened two fraudulent business checking accounts.
The website's complaint is similar to a lawsuit from the city of Los Angeles that alleged Wells Fargo employees opened unauthorized accounts for customers and then charged them bogus fees.
Banking industry expert Bert Ely told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO it could take awhile to figure out exactly what fueled the standoff.
"What I think is gonna be important is to see how this plays out in the courts, and to see how much substance there is to these allegations," said Ely. "We're just going to have to see how the process plays out."
Ronnie, a woman who has lived in the neighborhood for quite some time, said this is the second time in less than a month that the neighborhood has been evacuated.
"I don't know what's going on, I've been told to evacuate," she explained. "There's a house that has a credible threat on Landale. He's going to blow up the house."
No injuries were reported.
CBS2's Jasmine Viel reported the investigation is ongoing as detectives work to determine whether the incident was an actual suicide attempt, or just a cry for attention from the suspect due to his financial situation.
No weapons or bombs were located inside the suspect's home.
