Driver of Stolen Car in Stand-Off With Police on Roof; 1 Arrested

Final update: Police arrest suspect after to get him down from the roof.

[Updated 12:40 p.m.]

The suspect is still on the roof, refusing to cooperate with authorities. Helicopters are still circling.

"We are still trying to exhaust every means to get this gentleman down," LAPD Media Relations Officer Cleon Joseph said. "Hopefully, he will cooperate."

[Updated 12:14 p.m.]

KTLA-TV reports the man has threatened LAPD officers, saying "If I could get to my gun, I would kill all of you," but LAPD Media Relations has not confirmed this.

[Updated 12:03 p.m.]

There's heavy traffic in the neighborhood between Sunset and Wilshire, close to the scene of the stand-off. We're trying to get specific road closures but, for now, take an alternate route.

[Updated 11:53 a.m.]

Negotiators are trying to talk the suspect down from the rooftop, but Officer Cleon Joseph would not talk about specific tactics.

We've been moved away from the scene, citing safety concerns.

[Updated 11:05 a.m.]

Earlier this morning, the suspect led police on a chase through Westwood that began at an unknown location and lasted for about five minutes, according to Officer Cleon Joseph, a LAPD media relations officer.

The man has now been on the roof of a Westwood home in a stand-off with police for almost three hours.

A female passenger was arrested by the officers that pursued the car, which was a stolen vehicle. Some people at the scene say the car was an older Toyota Camry.

The suspect is a parolee and his name is not being released at this time. It is unknown whether he is armed, Joseph said.

Officers are attempting to communicate with the man. A LAPD Special Weapons and Tactics team and several other rescue vans are parked near the roof where the suspect is stying.

Residents in the surrounding blocks have been evacuated.

"This is all the reason why we're giving the suspect a chance to think about it, 'hey, this is not smart,' and hopefully he'll come down," Joseph said. "That's the best case scenario."

LAPD placed at least one ladder on the roof, inviting the man to come down.

[Updated 10:20 a.m]

The suspect is still moving around rooftops in the neighborhood. Two black LAPD rescue team vans have arrived on the scene. Follow Westwood-Century City Patch on Twitter for frequent updates from the scene.

[Updated 9:45 a.m.]

Patch Editor Sara Fay is on the scene and reports that the man is moving between rooftops near the intersection of Le Conte and Malcom avenues. Some officers standing by are carrying rifles. The man is wearing a grey sweatshirt, jeans and what looks like a beanie. Leandro Garcia, who is there watching the scene unfold, says he is a friend of the man on the roof.

“I tried to tell the officers to let me handle it and they said no let them handle it first,” Garcia said. “I don’t know why he just won’t come down.”

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Police are trying to persuade the driver of a stolen vehicle to come down from a roof of a Westwood home after a pursuit.

The man was driving a reported stolen vehicle and then led police on foot to the roof of a home in the 800 block of Malcolm Avenue, near the eastern side of the UCLA campus. Police are still trying to talk him down from the roof, according to Officer Rosario Herrera of the LAPD.

No information about where and when officers began following the car is currently available, but it was a "short pursuit," Herrera said. The suspect is described as a white male.

Information about the make of the stolen car was not yet available from LAPD.

Four helicopters circled above the scene.

Do you have photos or video from the scene? Upload them to this story or send them to saraf@patch.com

@Venice311 on twitter is also providing regular tweets via the LAPD scanner as the situation unfolds.

Westwood-Century City Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.