A SWAT standoff that lasted more than six hours in Long Beach ended Friday morning with officers discovering no one was inside the apartment they'd surrounded.
After a domestic dispute, a man had apparently locked himself and his children inside an apartment building in the 900 block of Cerritos Avenue at about 12:30 a.m., according to the Long Beach Police Department.
He had allegedly argued with a woman who managed to escape the building, police said. Several homes and people in the area were evacuated to a local elementary school.
Officers set up an extensive perimeter around the block, taking evacuated residents to a nearby elementary school. Officers made their way inside the apartment shortly before 6:50 a.m. and discovered the man was not inside.
Police believe the father left the location with his three children, all of whom are under the age of 10.
"The mother doesn't believe the children are in any danger," LBPD spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said.
Asher Klein contributed to this report.
