Los Angeles Police Department officers and a SWAT team surrounded the Tujunga, California, residence of voice actor Greg Burson today, who was reportedly armed with a gun and feared to be holding a woman against her will, authorities said.
The incident started at about 7:20 am, when two women ran out of the house and alerted police. A third woman was in the house, who later emerged and said she was never a hostage. Burson soon surrendered to authorities in shorts, no shirt and was taken to Foothill Division, but authorities did not disclose what charges, if any, he might be charged with.
Scenes from the standoff were broadcast during local L.A. TV news reports.
Burson was a favorite and devoted student of the late Daws Butler, the voice behind many Hanna-Barbera characters such as Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and QuickDraw McGraw. Burson, who said he had a similarly constructed voicebox, took up the torch for these characters and others done by the late Mel Blanc such as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Elmer J. Fudd.
Burson has also been heard as Attila the cat on MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM and Mr. Magoo in a number of commercials.
According to close friends, Burson had since been replaced for most of these well known characters and has been despondent over less work.
