Man with fake assault rifle surrenders after standoff in Signal Hill

A man with a fake assault rifle surrendered to authorities Tuesday after a standoff with a SWAT team in Signal Hill, authorities said.

The standoff began shortly after midnight in the 1000 block of East 32nd Street after police responded to a domestic-disturbance call. A woman said her boyfriend was inside the building with an AK-47 or similar high-powered assault rifle, according to Sgt. Robert Cravens of the Signal Hill Police Department.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department SWAT team and Long Beach police officers arrived at 4 a.m. to assist and help evacuate residents of seven nearby apartment units in the building as a safety precaution, police said.

The man surrendered to authorities at about 4:30 a.m., shortly after the SWAT team arrived, Cravens said. An initial search of the man's apartment turned up a toy AK-47 but no real firearms, he said. No injuries were reported.

The man was being held on suspicion of terrorism and possession of a weapon, Cravens said.

"Even if you don't have a real gun, people that you threaten don't know that and fear for their safety," Cravens said. "What we charge him with and what the [district attorney] will eventually charge him with is not necessarily the same thing."

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