by TImothy Rutt
Sqauds of police cars reported by local residents Tuesday morning were part of a Los Angeles Police Department/ATF operation that ended up getting diverted to a Los Angeles bomb threat, said Altadena's police captain.
Capt. John S. Benedict told the Altadena Town Council Tuesday that the Los Angeles police and federal enforcers from Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms were serving two search warrants Tuesday morning in Altadena in a joint operation involving sales and distribution of illegal firearms.
As they were executing one warrant, a call came in about a bomb threat involving a police vehicle in the Wilshire area of Los Angeles. (The Wilshire Boulevard Temple in the same neighborhood was also the target of a bomb threat earlier that day). Benedict said that LAPD members left the westside scene "code 3" (with lights and sirens). Some reports we received said that a large white vehicle that resembled a bomb squad vehicle was part of the motorcade that left Altadena.
Benedict said that it wasn't unusual to have LAPD executing warrants in Altadena.
