It was a tense Good Friday for those in the vicinity of the 4300 block of Club Vista Drive yesterday in Palmdale when the attempt to serve an arrest warrant on a man wanted for a 2004 North Hollywood murder barricaded himself inside a home for several hours and the neighborhood went into lockdown mode.
The Daily News explains yesterday's events and how they impacted area residents:
Several blocks around the Club Vista Drive home were cordoned and two nearby schools were locked down as police awaited an LAPD SWAT team. More than 1,800 children at neighboring Hillview Middle and Rancho Vista Elementary schools were locked down for about an hour [...] Parents were sent alerts by phone, and the hour-long campus shutdowns ended about 2 p.m. Schoolchildren were dismissed and released to their parents at exits specified by school officials.
While barricaded, the suspect apparently inflicted himself with a sharp object, as when he emerged just after 4 p.m. he had puncture wounds on his body and there was blood in the home. The 45-year-old man, whose name is not being released, is believed to have committed a murder in 2004 in a NoHo park and subsequently fled the country, but has been residing in Palmdale since late last year. He was taken to an area hospital following his surrender.Photo by pingnews.com via Flickr
