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Standoff With Armed 70-Year-Old Woman Finally Ends After 22 Hours

A call was initially made reporting someone in need of medical attention on the 4200 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

A 22 hour standoff with an armed 70-year-old woman at a mobile home park in Topanga finally ended peacefully early Friday.

She was taken into custody at around 3:30 a.m. without incident, then transported to a local hospital for treatment, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. Neighbors will finally be allowed to return to their homes.

The woman is said to have earlier shot a robot when officials sent it to make contact with her after alleged threats were made against residents at the park on the 4200 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

The standoff was sparked after a call was made at 5:35 a.m. reporting someone in need of medical attention.

Upon arrival, emergency crews found the woman with a gun, a representative with the Woodland Park Mobile Estates said. She also allegedly pointed her weapon at deputies.

The representative said the woman ran through a neighbor’s backyard and threatened residents.

Late Thursday, residents were running out of patience after being shut out of their homes due to the standoff.

"I just want to get back home, this is kind of ridiculous," a neighbor named Theresa said. "I feel if I was in the bushes I would've been shot at about 12 hours ago."

"I've been out of my house since about 8:30 this morning," resident Kendall Childs said. "Fortunately I have a very nice neighbor who let me into her home... everybody's been really great on our street."

After a couple of hours, officials sent a robot to contact the woman, who then shot at it twice, deputies said.

A crisis negotiation team was working to safely defuse the barricade situation. Tear gas was used in an attempt to flush her out, but she remained indoors. Extra deputies and an rescue vehicle equipped with a forklift were also deployed.

The standoff was ongoing as of 1:30 a.m, an LA County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. 

Beverly White contributed to this report

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