Police shot and killed a man armed with a gun on a rooftop in Long Beach on Saturday morning, after that man allegedly kidnapped and assaulted another person earlier in the day, according to officials.
Long Beach police officers responded to the 1100 block of East 17th Street around 11:10 a.m. after receiving reports of a dispute inside a vehicle, the police department said. When the officers arrived, they saw a man on a roof with a firearm in his hand, police said.
Officers shot the man after he pointed his firearm at police, according to authorities. The man, thought to be in his 30s or 40s, died at the scene.
“Further investigation revealed the man kidnapped, physically assaulted, and attempted to carjack a victim prior to officers arriving on scene,” Long Beach police said in a statement.” That person suffered non-life-threatening injuries to the upper body and was taken to a hospital, according to the police statement.
It was unclear how many officers shot at the man or how many times he was hit, but authorities said officers fired handguns and an AR-15 patrol rifle at the suspect. A firearm was recovered at the scene.
In videos recorded by neighbors and broadcast by KTLA-TV Channel 5, the man is seen pacing on a roof, shouting and waving what looks like a gun. Officers attempted to subdue the man by firing foam projectiles and activated a SWAT team, police said. Nearby residents were told to evacuate or shelter in place.
The case remains under investigation. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will conduct an independent investigation of the incident, and officer body-cam footage will be made available to the public, Long Beach police said.
