Man Held After 2-Hour Standoff in Hollywood

Wreaking havoc on the morning commute through Hollywood on Tuesday, a man fired shots into the air and then boarded a rush-hour bus, exited and held police at bay for two hours before surrendering.

The drama ended at 9:10 a.m. at Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue, where suspect Tommy Clark, 37, had stood motionless since 7 a.m., his hands tucked deep in his pockets.

At the urging of police negotiators, Clark slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets, put them into the air, turned to face the wall of a building, then dropped to his knees.

Clark, who is homeless, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Police said they found a .38-caliber handgun in his right pocket.

Los Angeles Police Lt. Anthony Alba said officers decided just to wait out the situation.

“Time was on our side,” Alba said. “This guy is standing in the sun wearing heavy clothing. He’s going to get thirsty. He’s going to get tired. Pretty soon we’re going to wear him down with understanding conversation.”

Trying to talk over the din of half a dozen TV helicopters, Clark told police negotiators he was upset because he was told he could no longer camp in the area around the Fox 11 television station, where he had been living.

While police urged Clark to give up, traffic through the area was diverted--cutting off one of Hollywood’s busiest intersections. In all, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had to reroute 45 buses, which were delayed 15 minutes or longer for most of the morning, officials said.

Witnesses told police Clark fired shots near Sunset Boulevard, North Wilton Place and the Hollywood Freeway before boarding an MTA bus.

Ramon Nunez, a Fox television news operations manager whose office is nearby, was driving in the area with a cameraman when they heard a “pop.”

He said they looked around and noticed Clark walking toward them. After they made eye contact, Clark pulled out a gun and “pointed it directly at us,” Nunez said. “We ducked. It was pretty scary.”

Clark walked past without firing any shots and boarded an MTA bus heading east on Sunset.

Nunez said he called the station to report the incident. Station officials contacted police, who called the MTA.

The bus driver was alerted about the incident via radio and instructed to tell passengers that he had a mechanical problem. He pulled over to the curb and told passengers he needed to check the engine.

After police were in sight, he asked everyone to exit the bus.

“I was just basically concerned for the passengers,” said driver Tim Taylor, 27. “I didn’t know what kind of person we were dealing with. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

At Taylor’s request, about 15 passengers--including the gunman--got off the bus. Police, who had Clark’s description, moved in to isolate him from the crowd, and the standoff ensued.

Raymond C. Fisher, a member of the city Police Commission, watched police bring the situation under control and praised the work of the officers.

“I just want to compliment the department on the measured way it responded,” said Fisher, one of five civilians who oversee LAPD policy. Fisher described the actions of the officers as “very responsible.”

Fisher noted that the suspect had a gun, which could have justified the use of deadly force to control the situation. Instead, police relied on negotiations and were prepared to use weapons that fire bean bags--techniques that allow police to take dangerous suspects into custody without firing their guns.

“There was a clear choice . . . not to use lethal force if at all possible,” Fisher said.

Clark was being held on $30,000 bail.

Times staff writer Jim Newton contributed to this report.