HACIENDA HEIGHTS (CNS) - A standoff that began when a deputy saw a weapon exchanged between two people ended today with the discovery of an illegal gambling operation in Hacienda Heights.
According to the sheriff's department, the situation began shortly after midnight when a patrol deputy saw a man give a handgun to a woman and tried to detain them. The woman, however, went inside a building in the 1300 block of Hacienda Boulevard and locked the door, according to Deputy Edmo Luna of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.
Additional deputies responded to the scene and called for the woman to come out of the building, but she refused, according to the sheriff's department. A SWAT team was summoned and surrounded the building, prompting the woman and 11 other people to exit the building.
Sheriff's officials then served a warrant and searched the building, discovering a renegade casino inside. Deputies also recovered a handgun and a sawed-off shotgun from the scene, Luna said.
The woman was arrested on suspicion of a weapons violation. The man who allegedly handed her the gun was also arrested on a weapons violation and on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale. Their names were not immediately released.
The 11 people who came out of the building with the woman were arrested for alleged illegal gambling, although two of them were also arrested for allegedly possessing the short-barreled shotgun, sheriff's officials said.