A North Hollywood business owner can vividly recall the August day last year when his life changed in what he calls "a matter of milliseconds."
Carlos Pena, owner of NoHo Printing & Graphics, recalled looking outside the business he's run for more than a decade Aug. 3 around lunchtime and seeing a man running in his direction with police officers in pursuit. That man barricaded himself inside the Lankershim Boulevard shop, touching off a lengthy standoff with several law enforcement agencies.
"It was crazy," Pena, 55, said. "I was getting even more nervous. I didn’t know that the guy was gonna mess up my stuff."
U.S. Marshals, SWAT officers and other law enforcement officers surrounded the building. Tear gas was deployed. The man on the run damaged ceilings and walls. His carpet, paper and expensive machinery were destroyed, Pena said.
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Pena could only watch and wait, which he did at a nearby business. By the time the standoff ended more than a dozen hours later, the shop was wrecked and the man had escaped.
Seven months later, Pena said he's struggling to stay afloat.
The day after the standoff, Pena said he spoke with the U.S. Marshals Office and felt confident he would be reimbursed. He sent a claim for $60,000 and was denied twice.
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He also was denied by his business insurance company.
"Every door has been closing on me," Pena said. "That's the situation."
Pena estimated he's lost most than 80 percent of his income. He also cleaned out his savings account.
His next step might be to sell his house, Pena said.
"Otherwise, I'm going to lose everything I have," he said.
NBCLA reached out to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and the U.S. Marshals Office, but did not hear back. The Los Angeles Police Department said details could not be shared with NBCLA, but recommended a public information request with specific questions.
In response to questions sent by the Los Angeles Times, the LAPD said Pena's claims are under consideration, but the agency is "unable to comment further."
