Rabbit Food Brings Armed Woman’s Standoff to an End

A Burbank woman who fired a shotgun blast because she was annoyed by a noisy band held police at bay for an hour and a half until officers complied with her demand to deliver a 50-pound bag of rabbit food to her home, Burbank police said.

“Her original demand was to receive three 50-pound bags of rabbit food, but we only brought her one,” Police Lt. Chris Welker said. “Only in Burbank would somebody negotiate for bags of rabbit food.”

The incident began Friday afternoon when Andrea Deitch, 35, ran out of her home in the 1400 block of North California Street and fired at least one shotgun round into the air, Welker said.

Neighbors called police and about 15 officers surrounded her home, Welker said.

“She said she was angry about a band” playing earlier at a nearby house, Welker said.

The band apparently stopped playing before police arrived.

“We asked what she was really after, and she said she wanted rabbit food,” Welker said.

Officers were dispatched to a pet store, where the manager agreed to lend them rabbit food, Welker said. “Officers placed the food on her porch.” When Deitch emerged and set aside the shotgun to grab the bag, “they nabbed her,” Welker said.

Deitch, held at Burbank Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, continued complaining about the noisy musicians after her arrest, Welker said.

“Officers found several rabbits running freely around her house. We still don’t know why she wanted so many bags.”