Armed Accomplice Ready To Shoot It Out With Police, Says Suspect

Updated 11:57 a.m.

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Manhattan Beach Police responded to a residential burglary alarm around 1:09 a.m. Sunday and saw a broken window and a "suspect frantically trying to hide," said Lt. Jason Knickerbock of the Manhattan Beach Police Department. MBPD officers established a perimeter and the suspect refused to come out and barricaded himself inside the home in the 600 block of Ardmore Avenue.

When the suspect attempted to flee out the front door some 3 hours later, there was a brief struggle and "less-than-lethal 40 millimeter sponge rounds" were used to take the suspect "safely into custody," said Knickerbocker.

When they took the suspect, Torreon Johnson, 28, of Los Angeles into custody "under questioning" he told them there was an accomplice inside armed with a handgun who had told Johnson he didn't want to go back to jail so he was going to shoot it out with police. He also provided the name of the alleged accomplice.

SWAT had already been activated when Johnson refused to come out of the house and had set up a large perimeter given the size of the residence, more than 5,000-square-feet. The alleged accomplice was reached while sleeping in his Texas home, and authorities there verified his was in his home, was who he was believed to be, and that he could not have been involved in the crime. The man said he knew Johnson but that they were no longer friends and couldn't imagine why his name had been given to police.

Around 8 a.m. this morning, SWAT "felt it was safe" based on the information they had "to enter and clear" the house, which they did. They found no one in the home. About two hours into the incident, they had confirmed that the owners of the home were on vacation.

Johnson has been arrested for residential burglary and possession of stolen goods, both felonies, and for delaying an investigation, a misdemeanor. He is set to be released under the zero bail policy currently in effect, however, officials are attempting "to have his bail increased" but won't know until this afternoon, said Knickerbocker.

The incident brought out SWAT from Hawthorne and Gardena police departments, K9 units and drones from Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo and Culver City police departments, as well as a police helicopter which had to leave due to the fog.

Original story:

Reports of a burglary suspect holed up in a Manhattan Beach home and possibly armed brought out Manhattan Beach police and SWAT late last night. SWAT was called in "after one male suspect fled a house as a burglary suspect but said another male was inside and possibly armed," Manhattan Beach Patch has learned.

MBPD and SWAT have had the area near Ardmore and Sixth Street closed off to traffic and passersby since late last night and are presently wrapping up the scene since it is now believed that the information about a second suspect being possibly in the home and armed was incorrect. That information came from the first suspect who was apprehended last night.

Reportedly, the homeowners are on vacation. One suspect is in custody. There have been no injuries.