Armed Barricaded Suspect Arrested After SWAT Operation NR11421AN

Los Angeles:  A man armed with a handgun barricaded himself following a confrontation with his girlfriend, was arrested early Thursday morning with the assistance of the LAPD SWAT team in West Valley area.

On September 7, 2011, around 7:50 p.m., officers assigned the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division, responded to a call of an "ADW (assault with a deadly weapon) Suspect there Now Armed with a Gun" in the 6900 block of Wystone Avenue, in the city of Reseda.

When the officers’ arrived, they were met by the victim who stated that her boyfriend was armed with a handgun and was threatening to shoot himself in the head.  At one point the victim tried to knock the gun out of the suspect’s hand and he responded by striking her in the wrist with the gun. At that point the victim ran from the location and called police.

Officers made several attempts to make contact with the suspect however, the suspect refused to surrender and a barricaded suspect incident was declared.

Officers established a perimeter around the residence and requested SWAT to respond. Neighboring residents were evacuated to safety and officers maintained a watchful eye on the suspect’s residence.

Commander James Cansler, Assisting Commanding Officer of the Operations Valley Division responded to the incident and assumed command.  As SWAT team members arrived they were briefed and quickly began the process of attempting to make contact with the suspect in order to talk him out of the volatile situation. With no response from the suspect, SWAT elected to deploy tear gas into the location and the suspect responded within minutes. SWAT personnel quickly made contact with the suspect and directed him out of the residence where he surrendered without further incident.

The suspect was later identified as 36-year-old Jeff Banner of Reseda.  He was arrested for Domestic Violence and transported to Van Nuys Jail for booking. His bail is set at $105,000.00

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call LAPD West Valley Area at 818-374-7611. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.