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iPhone Case Triggers Parking Lot Scare: Could've 'Very Easily Ended Tragically'

  • by: Alan Duke
  • (Sat, 31 Dec 2016 17:17:37 Z)

What police saw next to a sleeping man in a suburban Los Angeles parking lot led to a confrontation that "very easily ended tragically," according to a release from the Alhambra, California, police. When officers saw "what appeared to be a gun next to him" they called the Los Angeles County Sheriff's SWAT team for help.

The sleeping man eventually woke up -- three hours later -- and "came out of his vehicle with his hands up."

"The situation ended peaceful and it was determined what appeared to be a gun was actually a cellphone case of a gun," police said. "The male subject did not require any medical attention, was not arrested, and was sleeping in his vehicle."

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Police and paramedics were initially called to the Albertson grocery store parking lot when someone called 911 to report "a possible medical issue of a subject in a vehicle," police said.

About the author:

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

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