A day after local media focused on a City report about suicides in Pasadena, a despondent woman claiming to be armed held authorities at bay for more than an hour and a half outside Pasadena Police headquarters before officers shot her with a non-lethal round and detained her.
During the tense standoff authorities said the woman appeared to be suicidal.
The drama caused street closures which snarled traffic in the City’s Civic Center and drew live coverage from local television news helicopters.
“We have a woman reported to be very despondent. She initially walked into the lobby of PDHQ then came back out and she’s now outside,” said City of Pasadena Public Information Officer William Boyer shortly after the 5:30 p.m. incident began at 207 Garfield Ave.
The woman was confronted by a number of SWAT officers and an armored vehicle as officers from the department’s crisis negotiation team attempted to persuade her to surrender and accept help.
Ulimately, as darkness began to fall, officers fired a nonlethal “sponge” round at her, and moved into detain her.
Pasadena Chief of Police Phillip Sanchez, speaking at a press conference immediately after the incident’s conclusion, praised his officers’ conduct and said the woman was, other than bruises, physically unhurt.