It began almost as chaotically as it ended, at about 10 a.m. on Willow Street in East Long Beach on the morning of July 22 near Palo Verde Avenue.
Long Beach Police Department initiated pursuit of a “possible DUI driver” in response to a call they received from a LB fire and paramedics mobile unit who described a man in a car driving erratically and threateningly close to the LBFD vehicle en route with a patient inside in a manner fire personnel described as “road rage” behavior. LBPD soon picked up the erratic driver speeding eastbound on Willow and pursued him over the county line into Los Alamitos followed by the LB fire truck.
At Katella Ave. and Cherry St. the suspect made a hard left and pulled up just north of the U-drive entrance to the UCI- Los Alamitos Medical Center where he jumped out of his vehicle leaving it in the street, exiting shirtless with only his shoes and shorts on, and a large machete gripped in one hand.
Pacing back and forth, according to one eye witness he appeared agitated and highly emotional “raising his arms up and down in angry gestures.” By that time responding PD units from Los Alamitos and Cypress, as well as the chase team from LBPD had formed an encircling perimeter around the machete-wielding subject and attempted to communicate with him from a distance.
According to Los Al PD media liason Robert Acosta, after several failed attempts to “de-escalate” the situation, less-than -lethal bean bag weapons were deployed against the man, several bags appearing to hit their target, which seemed to only accelerate him into a stride up Cherry Street (as captured from video provided by Citizen App).
It was near the corner of Cherry and Florista that officers of the Los Alamitos and Cypress PD cornered the man as he dodged behind parked cars. At one point, according to Los Al PD spokesperson Acosta, the man with the machete approached officers in a threatening manner and only then did they used lethal force to stop him.
Numerous rounds were discharged by both agencies. The suspect was struck several times, disarming and disabling him, whereupon paramedics were called to render aid and deliver the suspect to an undisclosed trauma one emergency facility (UCI-Los Al is not one).
LBPD subsequently issued a press release just after the incident stating that “No Long Beach PD, though active in the pursuit and present on the scene, were involved in the shooting.”
During the hourlong incident hospital officials initiated a lockdown of the all medical campus facilities, though at no time did the suspect attempt to enter or engage anyone associated with the hospital, or any patient or other person on the street.
The still unidentified suspect remains in critical but stable condition at the undisclosed trauma one hospital. According to all local PD sources, the investigation has been taken over by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office who, as a matter of policy, investigates all officer involved shootings in Orange County.
The Los Alamitos officers involved in the actual shooting are, according to Los Al PD spokespersons, temporarily relieved of duties pending the DA investigation and findings. All other information regarding the shooting, the officers involved, the identity of the suspect, his medical prognosis, and any charges against the suspect are being withheld by the DA’s office pending their investigation.
No further information has been released to the public or press by local Police Department or the District Attorney’s Office. Kimberly Edds, the PIO for the DA, has noted that such investigations “could take weeks or months.”