Local News in Brief : Robbery Suspect Seized in Barricaded House

After nearly a 3-hour standoff Sunday, Los Angeles police and SWAT team officers arrested a man barricaded inside a Canoga Park house on suspicion of robbery.

At about 4:45 p.m. about 20 officers surrounded a house in the 20900 block of Saticoy Street where they had been informed that Rodney Redondo, 23, who was suspected of robbing a man at gunpoint, was hiding.

After attempting to reach Redondo by telephone and over a loudspeaker, SWAT team officers entered the house about 7:30 p.m. and arrested Redondo without incident, said Lt. Joe Garcia. Police found Redondo hiding inside the house and also recovered a gun, Garcia said.

Redondo was wanted on suspicion of robbing Martin Jimenez, who had picked him up about 4 p.m. as Redondo hitchhiked at Tampa and Roscoe Boulevards, Garcia said.

He forced Jimenez out of his truck and was at the truck when officers showed up, according to Garcia. When he saw police, he ran through the neighborhood and into an alleyway, Garcia said. Officers lost sight of him, but neighbors of Redondo’s said they saw him enter his house.

A police air unit, 10 police officers and about 8 SWAT team officers were deployed to the scene while residents of six of the neighboring houses were evacuated, Garcia said. They were allowed to return to their houses shortly after 7:30 p.m.

Redondo was being held on $16,000 bail at West Valley Police Station.