Your gift is matched today!

Double your donation's impact on our newsroom today during our June member drive.
1,535 sustainers of 2,500 goal
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Man Aims Toy Rifle at Traffic

police_car_moving.jpg
Photo by stevelyon via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Sometimes toys are no laughing matter.A homeless man was arrested yesterday after pointing a fake AK-47 at passing cars on the corner of Los Feliz Road and brand Blvd., reports the LA Times:

Fearing that Schwartz would fire what they thought was a real gun, [Glendale Police Sgt. Tom] Lorenz said several motorists swerved to avoid his aim.

Reports of the man and what witnesses believed was a real weapon began coming in at 6:25 a.m., and within two minutes, according to the Times, a dozen police cruisers had surrounded 57-year-old John Schwartz, who immediately relinquished the toy.

Given the circumstances, and had Schwartz not complied with officers, he could have been seriously hurt or even killed:

“He was lucky he did not get shot,” Lorenz said.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today