Weapons and possible explosives found inside a Hollywood apartment Monday afternoon prompting the evacuation of homes and businesses turned out to be fakes, police said.
Officers found what appeared to be a stick of dynamite, a sawed-off shotgun and another gun inside an apartment on Sunset Boulevard near Cherokee Avenue after receiving reports of gunfire in the area. The second gun and the dynamite turned out to be replicas, possibly movie props, LAPD spokeswoman Rudy Lopez told the Associated Press.
Neighbors who witnessed the arrest identified the suspect as Robert Page-Roberts, a prop master in the entertainment industry.
"I saw police guys in riot gear, or the bullet-proof vests and helmets on," said Shatto Brown. "I heard them say the f-word and freeze then he stopped and turned around and then I saw another police officer come from the elevator area with a rifle."
Police say the suspect did not resist arrest. Two of his friends, a man and woman, were also taken into custody and released hours later.
"Innocent people got arrested for this," the woman said.
A woman claiming to be the suspect's ex-girlfriend, who wished to remain anonymous, says he once held a fake gun to her head.
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As of 11:30 p.m., the suspect who remained in custody had not been booked but was being held at LAPD's Hollywood Station.
Police descended on the area in the 6600 block of Sunset Boulevard, near Leland Way, Monday afternoon after reports of shots fired. The calls came in around 3:30 p.m., and a command post was set up at De Longpre Avenue and Seward Street.
At least one shot was fired, LAPD Cmdr. Bill Scott said.
A witness saw the alleged gunman armed with a rifle standing on a third-floor balcony of an apartment building, Scott said. That building and surrounding homes and businesses were evacuated.
In addition to the suspected dynamite, police say they found airsoft weapons, typically used to shoot paintballs, when they searched the suspect's apartment.
A portion of Sunset Boulevard was closed as police swarmed the area. A police perimeter was lifted for about 45 minutes around 5 p.m. before it was reinstated and evacuation orders were expanded.
The police perimeter was established from Las Palmas Avenue at Sunset Boulevard to Seward Street at Sunset Boulevard south to De Longpre Avenue (map), LAPD officials said.
Initial reports indicated a man was shooting at construction workers, but police later clarified that workers at a nearby construction site heard the gunfire and were concerned.
No injuries were reported, said Officer Cleon Joseph.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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