By Andrew Blankstein and Dennis Romero-
NBC News
A man who Los Angeles police say had taken a hostage was killed Friday night after a several-hour standoff at a downtown apartment complex, authorities said.
The hostage was not injured
, according to authorities.
The suspect was taken to a hospital and his death was later confirmed, Los Angeles police said.
A musician across the street from the building recorded the confrontation and the police response.
The video appears to show a man with his arm around someone else's neck.
It is unclear what happened before or after the video, which appears to show SWAT agents entering the building and taking aim.
The situation unfolded late on Friday afternoon, after agents received a call to report an assault with a deadly weapon in the historic center of the city, according to police.
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A suspect wanted in a series of violent incidents in the city center, including a shooting at a business and an attempted car theft,
broke into an apartment building and allegedly took a hostage before barricading himself
inside a unit, according to The authorities.
First, the man pointed a gun at a person passing by on the street and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not go off, according to police.
The man then proceeded to try to rob a family within a business.
He shot and wounded a 14-year-old boy, police said.
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Later, at the intersection of Main Street and 6th Street, the man allegedly barricaded himself and took at least one person hostage in a situation that ended in shooting.
"While Los Angeles police personnel were outside the compound, they saw the suspect through a window pointing a gun at the head of one of the hostages," police said in a statement on Friday. evening.
"Building on the already incredibly violent actions and fearing that the suspect was going to kill the hostage, SWAT entered the apartment," he added.
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At least
one officer opened fire
, according to authorities, and the suspect was hit and died at the scene.
Los Angeles police said the time between initial calls to the area and the end of the confrontation was nearly five hours.
