Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Listen
Donate

Share This
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

14 People Held Hostage at Mall in Armed Robbery That Included Stabbing and Sexual Assault

By  Emma G. Gallegos
Published Jan 10, 2013 11:00 PM

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

SEE UPDATES BELOW

Authorities say that a woman is being held hostage by two armed men at the Nordstrom Rack at the Howard Hughes Center. Details are sketchy, but @LAScanner and @Venice311 have been listening to the scanner fire intently since the incident started around 11 pm. Police told NBC Los Angeles that the armed pair took the woman to the back of the store. The store closes at 10 pm.

The situation is still ongoing, but here's the insane story as it unfolded (so far) in real time over the scanner:

Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor

Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor

Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor

It looks like @LAScanner and @Venice311 are settling into a long graveyard shift, but TV news crews arrived on the scene well after midnight. In the meantime, the folks who went to see "Gangster Squad" at The Bridge are stuck in the theater for a show they didn't expect:

UPDATE 8:15 AM
By Lindsay William-Ross

Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor

Still considered an active investigation, more details about last night's tense standoff at the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center have become available.

A total of 14 people had to be rescued from inside a storage room at the Nordstrom Rack where they were hiding, according to City News Service.

The situation began as an armed robbery, just after 10 p.m. Thursday, and the initial incident was reported by a spouse or boyfriend of an employee of the store, said Lt. Andy Neiman, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman, after that employee called him to tell him two men with handguns had entered the store at closing time, 10 p.m.

A man was seen running out of the store, but when he saw police, he darted back inside. Soon after, a man exiting the store with a woman also saw police, and forced the woman back into the store with him.

At 3:30 a.m. SWAT officers were able to enter the store, and freed the 14 people trapped and hiding inside.

Though all were in good condition, Neiman told KTLA that at least one of the victims had been stabbed and sustained a non-life threatening wound.

“There’s additional information that one of the victims was also sexually assaulted, and so that victim is being cared to at this time,” Neiman said.

The armed robbers were not on scene when SWAT performed the rescue.

This morning the gunman remain at large, however the white SUV believed to be their vehicle has been reportedly spotted at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Globe Avenue in Culver City.

Related:
More Details About Bizarre Armed Robbery That Led To 14 Employees Being Held Hostage

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist
Best of LAist