Armed robbery suspect barricades himself in Kaiser Permanente building, prompting evacuation

An armed robbery suspect looks right into FOX 11's cameras as he's walked into a police car.

Around 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, LAPD says the man robbed a Home Depot on Slauson Ave. and Western.

Then drove off in this white SUV and headed to a nearby mall in Baldwin Hills.

Police notice the stolen SUV, approaching him after he parked.

He bolts to this Kaiser Permanente building on MLK Blvd, with multiple officers on his heels.
"I believe it was the officers who saw him actually go into the bathroom they were that close," said Deputy Chief Phillip Tingirides.

He traps himself inside a bathroom, prompting the building to evacuate as a precaution and refuses to come out.

"After trying to get him to come out and he refused - we put some oc gas into the bathroom into the door and he came out very quickly," said Tingirides

The gas causes coughing, burning, and eyes to tear.

And even though the man tries blending in, that doesn't work either.

"He went in without a lab coat - I was told when they took him into custody he was wearing a lab coat," says Tingirides.

The man will likely be booked for robbery

Police say he could also be booked for Grand Theft Auto.

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