STUDIO CITY (CBSLA) — One woman is dead after a gunman entered the Trader Joe’s grocery store in Silver Lake, barricading himself inside with multiple hostages.

The suspect, described initially as a man in his late teens, was taken into custody following a nearly 4-hour standoff with police at the Trader Joe’s near Hyperion and Rowena avenues Saturday afternoon.

UPDATE: We can confirm that there is an active barricaded suspect within a #TraderJoes in #Silverlake. An active tac-alert has been declared to ensure all resources necessary will be available. Please continue to stay clear of the area. — LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 22, 2018

According to the Los Angeles Police Dept., a the 28-year-old man allegedly shot his grandmother seven times at a home on 32nd Street in the Newton area of South L.A. around 1:30 p.m. A second woman was also shot and kidnapped by the man who fled in a 2015 Toyota Camry.

The man then made his way north, and police were able to locate him in the Hollywood are through the car’s LoJack system.

He was then involved in a police pursuit, during which he allegedly shot at officers multiple times. No officers were injured.

He ended up in Silver Lake around 3:30 p.m., where he crashed into a pole outside the grocery store located at 2738 Hyperion Ave. before entering the building.

After the suspect exited the vehicle, he was involved in a firefight with police, during which he suffered an injury to his arm, LAPD Chief Moore said.

Some people were able to get out, but the suspect remained inside with patrons and employees.

CBS2’s own news producer Lynne Westafer was one of those people. She said the visibly upset suspect asked to speak to his “granny” several times. She said one of the hostages was trying to comfort the man.

“He did not seem high on drugs, to me,” Westafer recalled. “He was shot, and there was a woman who […] really worked to try to keep him calm and sort of, almost advocate on his behalf,” said Westafer. “He seemed like he might have been in shock, actually, ’cause he was very cold, and they kept giving him, you know, sweatshirts and things like that.”

Westafer also said the man at several points started to count down in an aggressive manner.

CBS2 spoke to one store employee who sought cover with some coworkers.

“I was working in the back room, heard screaming and gunfire, ran upstairs, grabbed a couple coworkers, made my way to into a back section of the storage area upstairs,” Sean Gerace said. “I grabbed an emergency ladder, barricaded the hallway, grabbed a weapon, put the ladder out the window, and just tried to get the attention of a SWAT officer.”

The worker said once the officer saw him, he let him and his coworkers exit through a window.

Others sought cover inside a nearby dry cleaner.

A negotiator was in contact with the suspect, who was put in police custody around 6:30 p.m. without incident.

Moore confirmed a woman was shot inside the store, and she was declared dead once officers were able to extract her. Her name was withheld, pending family notification.

Albert Corado claimed to be the victim’s brother, tweeting, “[S]he didn’t make it.” The L.A. County Coroner identified the woman as Melyda “Mely” Corado, reportedly the store’s manager.

I’m sad to say she didn’t make it. My baby sister. My world. I appreciate the retweets and the love. Please respect my family’s privacy as we are still coming to terms with this. #TraderJoes #SilverLake — Albert Corado (@digitalurn) July 22, 2018

The man’s grandmother was listed in critical condition. Esther Haydel, who lives near where the initial shooting took place, told CBS2 she heard from a family member that the incident began when the man’s grandmother told him he had too many TVs on in the house. This account has not been corroborated by police.

The suspect’s cousin told City News Service he didn’t know what precipitated the confrontation, but he did say the grandmother saw a gun under the suspect’s pillow on Friday. He also said she did not want the man’s girlfriend in the house.

Patron Michaela Watson left the store just as the suspect arrived. Watson said she and other customers were stuck in their cars for about 30 minutes as police surrounded the area.

Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was the councilman for District 13 just south of the store, became emotional as he thanked the first responders.

“I think like many parents out there, it was difficult to keep things together watching small children come out of windows on the second floor who were hiding,” Garcetti said.

“The good news was, because of LAPD and the heroism of the hostage negotiator, hostages were being released.[…] We are very lucky to have this police department, this fire department. Nobody’s ever perfect, but they are extraordinary individuals. The bravery they showed today, the tactical prowess that they showed, and just the humanity was pretty breathtaking.”

Breaking: Trader Joe’s worker drags out person after shots fired in Silver Lake. Officers looking for stolen car suspect. pic.twitter.com/J2yxU2M3rL — Jeff Nguyen (@jeffnguyen) July 21, 2018

LAPD said it recovered a gun at the scene.

A family reunification location was set up at the LAPD Northeast Community Police Station located at N. 3353 San Fernando Rd. All involved have been reunited with their families.

A witness tweeted he got out of the store safely, along with some employees.

I was at the Silvelake Trader Joe’s but I got out and am fine. I’m with the employees behind the police barricade on Rowena. — Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) July 21, 2018

I was walking in when a car crashed running from the police crashed into street lamp in front of the entrance. Gunman got out and started shooting at the cops. I hid behind a retaining wall with three cops until they had me crawl out — Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) July 21, 2018

Employees are saying gunman shot a TJ’s employee in the arm. Another employee dragged her out and the police got her into the ambulance. — Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) July 21, 2018

Some people here with family still inside. Gunman took a man’s cell phone and sent him out. Sounds like he moved hostages to the back of the store and asked to talk to a negotiator — Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) July 21, 2018

Gunman walked in shooting. He went into the back and took hostages. Employees snuck out through back emergency exits. Employee says blood was all over the floor, unclear from where — Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) July 21, 2018

Employee says gunman came in and asked for a sweater, said he was cold and wanted to change. “He was ordering people around like nobody’s business” — Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) July 21, 2018

Some employees locked themselves in the bathroom. One, a former marine (who bagged my fucking zucchini just last week) helped people sneak out — Devin Field (@thatdevinfield) July 21, 2018

Donald Trump tweeted he was monitoring the situation before deleting it Saturday evening. Below is a screenshot:

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