Police surrounded a car in a gas station parking lot in North Long Beach after someone discovered a passed-out or sleeping driver who appeared to have a gun with him, authorities said.

The gun turned out to be a replica firearm, but before police discovered that, officers rushed to the gas station on Long Beach Boulevard just north of the 710 Freeway around 7:30 a.m., Long Beach police spokeswoman Shaunna Dandoy said.

Police shut down streets in the area and evacuated the gas station.

Officers made announcements over a loudspeaker, but, police said, the driver did not respond. Officers think he was either asleep or otherwise unconscious while they were trying to communicate with him, Dandoy said.

Shortly before 9 a.m., the driver came out of the car and surrendered. Police said he was taken into custody without any problems.

The driver, 50-year-old Carlos Herd, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and an outstanding warrant for his arrest, Dandoy said.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Tuesday afternoon with more information from police.

Jeremiah Dobruck is executive editor of the Long Beach Post where he oversees all day-to-day newsroom operations. In his time working as a journalist in Long Beach, he’s won numerous awards for his investigative reporting and editing. Before coming to the Post in 2018, he wrote for publications including the Press-Telegram, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.