Eviction notice leads to standoff, person dead

A person was found dead of an “apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” today at an apartment complex in the Hollywood area where authorities went to serve an eviction notice, an incident that led to the closure of the nearby Hollywood (101) Freeway for several hours, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The standoff began at about 8 a.m. in the 2300 block of Cahuenga Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Travis Morrow told reporters two deputies, along with representatives from the apartment building, approached the apartment Thursday morning, and when they knocked on the door and announced why they were there, “they heard a single gunshot come from within the apartment.”

The group backed away and the standoff began. Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau personnel were summoned to the scene, along with officers from the Los Angeles Police Department.

No injuries were immediately reported after the gunshot, but Morrow said deputies were unable to make contact with the person inside the apartment.

Authorities later entered found a person dead of “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the sheriff’s department reported.

About 9:30 a.m., a section of the nearby Hollywood (101) Freeway in the Cahuenga Pass was also shut down as the standoff continued, leading to miles-long backups in both directions. A window of the apartment where the standoff was occurring looks out onto the freeway.

The southbound freeway was reopened about 1 p.m. and the northbound lanes were reopened a short time afterward.

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