Ax-Wielding Man Surrenders After Barricaded Inside South Bay Car Wash for Hours

CARSON, CA — A man armed with an ae holed up Tuesday at a Carson car wash for nearly six hours before surrendering.

The man surrendered to authorities about 6:20 p.m., according to Deputy Kimberly Alexander of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

Deputies received the call at around 12:30 p.m. about the man wielding an ax in the 16100 block of South Avalon Boulevard in Carson. The man "is a known person" and negotiators were trying to get him to surrender, said Deputy Crystal Hernandez of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

Carson Station deputies were first sent to the Aquamax Car Wash at Alondra and Avalon boulevards to investigate reports of an armed man and vandalism, said Hernandez.

The suspect had gotten into a dispute with an employee of the business and had brandished an ax, she said.

Hernandez said the man has "some affiliation with the business," but she did not know what the affiliation is.

At some point, the suspect fled to a "second-floor loft area" and refused to come out of the building. No one else was in the building with the suspect, she said.

Authorities closed Avalon Boulevard from Redondo Beach Boulevard to Gardena Boulevard, and Special Enforcement Bureau deputies were sent to the scene.

— City News Service contributed to this report