Suspect Shot by Long Beach Police Dies

LONG BEACH, CA - A man who fled from a vehicle that police were trying to stop because of a traffic code violation was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Long Beach, and police were searching for the driver of that car this morning.

Officers tried to stop the vehicle about 6:20 p.m. Thursday in the area of Long Beach Boulevard and 68th Street for a vehicle violation, said Marlene Arrona of the Long Beach Police Department.

The officers believed the vehicle was also moving through that neighborhood in a suspicious manner, according to Arrona. Just before the officers initiated a traffic stop the car suddenly stopped on Long Beach Boulevard and a man jumped out of the car and began running away.

Officers chased the man into an alley in the area of 68th Street and Orcutt Avenue, Arrona continued. When the man entered the alley he allegedly pulled out a gun, refused to drop it and the OIS ensued.

The man suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, Arrona said. Paramedics were called to the scene and transported the man to a hospital where he later died. A gun was recovered at the scene by police. The man's name was withheld pending family notification.

The driver of the vehicle in which the man was riding fled the scene and police were searching for him today.

Police shut down Long Beach Boulevard between Artesia and Greenleaf boulevards for the OIS investigation. That stretch of Long Beach Boulevard was reopened about 11:45 p.m. Thursday.

Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call the Long Beach police Homicide Detail at (562) 570-7244. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock