Suspects Escape After Attempting To Reach Building's Helipad

Police Unsure What Suspects Were After

Posted: 10:32 p.m. PDT October 3, 2001 Updated: 11:30 a.m. PDT October 4, 2001

LOS ANGELES --

The Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team spent nearly six hours looking for a couple of would-be robbers at a bank building in Echo Park Wednesday, but the search ended early Thursday morning without any arrests being made.

Authorities said the two suspects demanded that the building's security guards give them access to the landing pad of a California Federal Bank branch, where a helicopter is located.

An employee at the bank, on 1900 West Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, called police to say that he had heard the men force a security guard to the ground and ask questions about the chopper, according to CBS2 News.

Immediately after being notified about the 8:50 p.m. incident, heavily-armed officers swarmed into the area of Sunset and Glendale boulevards.

A military helicopter landed on top of the building in the hours after the incident, and a section of Sunset Boulevard was closed while SWAT members searched for the suspects and secured the area. Workers were escorted out of the building as late as 10:40 p.m.

According to the television station, authorities temporarily disabled the civilian helicopter to prevent an airborne escape. The helicopter is reportedly used for frequent large money transfers.

The search was conducted inside and outside the building that houses the bank. A review of security video confirmed Thursday morning that there were two suspects inside the building before police arrived. Both got away, according to authorities.

Police are trying to figure out if the two were after money, or the helicopter on a bank's roof -- or both.

Copyright 2001 by Channel 2000

-- PHO (owennos@bigfoot.com), October 04, 2001