The downtown Los Angeles Federal Building was evacuated and several streets were shut down Wednesday when a woman carrying a backpack claimed she had a bomb.
The threat prompted a three-hour standoff with the woman, who was sitting near the front door of the building at 300 North Los Angeles Street. Federal officers and a bomb squad stood feet away from her behind armored trucks.
The standoff ended about 2 p.m. with officers using a bean-bag to subdue the woman and take her into custody.
Witnesses described the frightening moments when authorities first approached the woman.
"She kept screaming and shouting and the officers they were talking to her, I guess trying to calm her down," one witness said.
A robotic arm carrying a phone was sent to the woman. She picked up the receiver and appeared to speak into it for several minutes.
