A man carrying a lighter that resembled a gun was arrested following a brief standoff with officers in West Hollywood, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The LAPD said it learned about the suspect after a bystander, a retired police officer from Chicago, noticed the man acting erratically and alerted an LAPD officer near Melrose Avenue and Westmount Drive Friday morning.
The witness told the sergeant that the suspect appeared to have a gun in his hoodie, according to the LAPD.
As the officer began chasing the man, additional officers arrived and repeatedly ordered him to surrender. When he refused, officers fired less-than-lethal rounds, striking him in the right upper thigh.
He was then arrested on suspicion of obstruction. Officers found a lighter with a gun-shaped handle among the suspect’s belongings, the LAPD said.
The man’s identity was not immediately available.
