Hunt for armed prowler in Sunland area fails

An hours-long search for an armed man in the hills around Sunland came up empty Tuesday morning, police said.

The search began around 12:42 a.m. when SWAT units responded to calls of a barricaded man with a gun in the 10300 block of Sunland Boulevard, according to LAPD Officer Drake Madison.

Several patrol cars and K-9 units were sent to the scene as well.

The man, described as being in his 30s or 40s, might be responsible for eight residential and commercial burglaries in the nearby Shadow Hills neighborhood and the northeast San Fernando Valley, officials said.

He was last seen near the Green Verdugo Reservoir near the 210 Freeway on land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, authorities said.

Video obtained by ABC-TV Channel 7 showed the man on DWP property in Shadow Hills overnight carrying what appeared to be a rif le. A representative for the DWP did not immediately respond to requests to comment.

The California Highway Patrol closed the east and westbound Sunland Boulevard offramps from the 210 Freeway to limit traffic from entering the area. By 8 a.m., police had called off the search, saying the man was not in the “area of containment.”

“The suspect wasn’t located and the search was ended,” Madison said. “If we have somebody inside a perimeter, we check that perimeter — otherwise we get him another day.”

Less than a hour after police called off their search, however, officers raced to the 10000 block of Sunland Way in response to reports of a burglary.

Officers arrived with their guns drawn, according to reports on the police scanner. No suspect was found, LAPD Officer J. Chavez said.

It’s unclear whether the call was tied to the same man.