LONG BEACH, Calif. – Officers of the Long Beach Police Department fatally shot an armed man on the roof of a building in the city on Saturday. The deceased suspect was accused of kidnapping and an attempted carjacking, authorities said.
Officers responded to the 1100 block of East 17th Street in Long Beach about 11:10 a.m. regarding a report of a man with a gun, KTLA reported.
Upon arrival, officers located a man atop an apartment building who was armed with some type of firearm, which police later identified as a handgun.
(Long Beach Police Department)
The Long Beach Police Department provided the following details in a press release:
“Officers made several attempts to de-escalate the situation, as the man refused to put down the firearm. Officers established a perimeter, activated SWAT, and advised nearby residents to evacuate and/or shelter in place.
“Officers continued to utilize de-escalation techniques, but the man still refused to put the firearm down. During the incident, officers discharged 40mm less-lethal foam projectiles, which were not effective in gaining the man’s compliance. After approximately 20 minutes, the man pointed the firearm at officers, which resulted in officers discharging their handguns and an AR-15 patrol rifle.
“The man continued to manipulate the firearm in his hand and refused to follow multiple commands to drop the firearm. The man eventually became unresponsive and SWAT officers safely got onto the roof and began rendering first-aid to the man until they were relieved by the Long Beach Fire Department.
“The Long Beach Fire Department determined the man deceased on scene.”
As the investigation progressed, LBPD discovered the suspect had been involved in additional crimes, according to the press statement.
“Further investigation revealed the man kidnapped, physically assaulted, and attempted to carjack a victim prior to officers arriving on scene. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries to the upper body and was transported to a local hospital. No officers or additional community members were injured during the incident.”
Investigators recovered this weapon following the fatal shooting. (Long Beach Police Department)
LBPD did not identify the suspect, simply saying he was in his 30s or 40s.
No officers were injured in the shooting, according to police. Homicide detectives arrived at the scene to investigate.
