A Los Angeles Department of Water and Power facility was placed on a temporary lockdown Tuesday morning as police searched for a suspected armed prowler in the Shadow Hills area.
The prowler was spotted in the foothills near Sunland Boulevard and the 210 Freeway about 12:45 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Christopher Zine said.
About a dozen employees at the nearby LADWP facility were placed on lockdown after surveillance video showed a man going through a fence with something in his hand.
The man may have been holding a rifle, Zine said.
A perimeter was set up to search for the suspect, prompting officials to tell residents of homes within the search area to shelter in place.
K-9 and SWAT units were called to the scene to help but officials later said the suspect was not located on the property and called off the search.
Police believe the man is the same prowler suspected in a string of 8 to 10 burglaries or attempted burglaries in the Shadow Hills, Sun Valley and Sunland areas recently.
Security videos showed the suspect holding a weapon and walking around people’s homes.
He is believed to have several weapons, one of which is described as looking like an AR-15 and another being a hunting rifle, police said.
The incidents occurred between Oct. 19 and Nov. 6 and included one time where a gun was pointed at a security guard, police said.
The suspect was described as being Hispanic, about 30 to 40 years old, 6 feet tall and weighing about 150 to 170 pounds.
Anyone who sees the suspect or knows of his whereabouts is asked to call 911.