Woman In Custody After Claiming To Have Explosive At Downtown Federal Building

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The downtown Federal Building was evacuated today when a woman carrying a backpack claimed she had a bomb in the lobby of the building then shouted at officers as she sat near the front door, prompting a three-hour standoff.

The threat at the building at 300 N. Los Angeles St. was made by the woman around 11 a.m., said Los Angeles police Officer Liliana Preciada. An LAPD bomb squad was dispatched to the scene.

The woman making the threat exited the building and sat outside the front entrance, occasionally shouting at officers. Streets around the building were closed, creating traffic nightmares in the bustling downtown Civic Center.

Witnesses told NBC4 that the woman was yelling at officers and holding her hand as if she was carrying a detonator.

Police tried to speak to the woman and at one point used a bomb-squad robot to take a telephone to the woman as she sat in front of the building.

Around 2 p.m., police used a bean-bag gun to subdue the woman and take her into custody.