(March 8, 2007) -- Part of LB's East Village from 1st to 3rd Sts. and Atlantic to Elm Aves. was sealed off at midafternoon March 8 as LAPD officers, assisted by LBPD officers & SWAT, confronted a barricaded LB resident suspected in the murder of a Wilmington man hours earlier.

Officers at staging area. Photo credit: Daniel deBoom

LBReport.com's Ryan Smolar on scene said there was an intense police presence in the area and traffic was rerouted from as far away as LB Blvd. on the west to Alamitos Ave. on the east.

LAPD Public Information Officer Jason Lee tells LBReport.com that the day's dramatic events started about 9 a.m. when relatives of a suspect came to LAPD's Harbor Station in Wilmington and said a suspect, described as a white male, had possibly committed a murder in Wilmington in the 900 block of Lagoon Ave. LAPD officers went to the location and found the body of an adult male in a garage area.

There was a heavy police presence in the East Village area. Photo credit: Daniel deBoom

LAPD Detectives made a follow-up investgiation and determined that the suspect resided in LB...in the 500 block of east Broadway. LAPD and went to that scene, found the suspect...but he refused to submit to an arrest.

LAPD Detectives requested LA's SWAT team...and while it headed to the scene, LBPD's SWAT team arrived along with LBPD officers to assist.

Photo credit: Daniel deBoom [SWAT officers faces pixeled]

LBPD effectively sealed off the area from roughly 1 p.m. to about 3 p.m. when the suspect surrendered to LAPD. He's in custody, described for the moment only as an adult male.

We'll update this page with further as newsworthy.