SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A masked man waving an American flag and holding a handgun on a highway overpass caused the highway below to be shut down for hours during the Monday morning commute. No shots were fired.
Police Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte says the man, wearing a ski mask and brown fatigues, was waving an American flag with one hand and a handgun in the other when officers arrived on the overpass just after 7:10 a.m.
After about two hours, police officers using a bullhorn made contact with the man. But the sergeant said no one knows who the man is or what he wants.
"The specifics of conversation are unknown, but they have opened dialogue," Duarte said.
Highway 101 was shut down in both directions, backing up morning commuter traffic for several miles in each direction. The coastal highway was still closed two hours later.
The police special weapons and tactics team and a crisis negotiation team was on the scene.
Santa Barbara is 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
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