A man suspected of committing fraud at a Target store led officers on a chase in which he crashed a stolen vehicle, then barricaded himself inside an office building before surrendering to a SWAT team Thursday, police said.
The drama began about 2:30 p.m. when a loss prevention agent at the Glendale Galleria Target store informed police of the alleged fraud, according to Glendale police Sgt. Robert William.
The suspect, who is in his mid-20s, had left the store and gotten into a vehicle by the time officers arrived. They tried to pull him over, but he instead led them on a short chase that ended a few blocks away at the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and San Fernando Road, where he crashed the vehicle into either an unoccupied parked car or the center median, William said.
The man then ran into an office building in the 600 block of Colorado Boulevard, where he holed up inside a ground-floor office, according to William, who said people who had been working in the office ran out unharmed.
A SWAT team and crisis negotiators arrived and spoke with the man, who said he would not come out because he didn't want to be incarcerated again, William said. He surrendered about 3:30 p.m. without further incident, according to the sergeant.
It's unclear why the man had been incarcerated, but William said he had been granted early release as a non-violent offender. His name was not immediately released. He's now facing possible charges related to the alleged fraud, as well as the pursuit, vehicle theft and hit-and-run crash, William said.
