Long Beach police fatally shoot armed suspect after hours-long standoff
Long Beach police shot and killed a man armed with a handgun who broke into a home in Carson while trying to evade capture on Sunday, sparking an hours-long standoff, officials said Monday.
The man, whose identity was not immediately released, was wanted in connection with a Saturday night shooting in the Carmelitos housing projects that left one man critically injured, police said in a news release.
Detectives from the department’s Gang Enforcement Division were able to identify the suspect the next morning and tracked him to a home in the 2700 block of East 220th Place in Carson, investigators said.
SWAT officers were called to the scene in Carson, but the suspect fled on foot, hopping over several fences, police said. The man then broke into a nearby home, causing some of the occupants to rush outside.
Police quickly discovered there were two juveniles inside the home with the suspect, and SWAT officers entered the residence to attempt a rescue. The suspect fled again, this time barricading himself inside a utility shed.
The children were not injured, police said.
Detectives negotiated with the man for several hours, repeatedly asking him to surrender, but he refused. Police also fired rubber bullets and tear gas into the shed, hoping to flush him out.
At 5:10 p.m., police said the suspect exited the shed while still armed.The man “threatened” the officers, according to Police Chief Robert Luna, and was shot and killed.
His identity is being withheld until police can notify his next of kin, according to Luna.
For more breaking crime and cops news in Southern California, follow me on Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT
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