Call of Barricaded Suspect in Venice Turns out to Be Nothing

A claim that a murder suspect was barricaded inside an apartment  brought an army of SWAT and patrol officers to Venice Beach early this morning but after evacuating many residents and searching the building there was no suspect, a police sergeant said.

The nearly 3 1/2-hour operation began with a call at 12:54 a.m. reporting a murder suspect in an apartment at 28th Avenue and Oceanfront Walk, said Sgt. Laura Curtin of the Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Station.

"Officers responded, there was no response at the location so they set up a perimeter and evacuated residences in the area," Curtin said.

"We determined there was no suspect inside," she said.

"It's going to be an ongoing investigation to find out why we received that call and who made it," Curtin said. "It is illegal to make a false radio call."

--City News Service