Police fatally shoot man armed with knife in Long Beach
Video footage by OnScene.TV shows Long Beach police fatally shooting a man in the street Sunday night. Authorities said he charged at officers with a knife. This raw video contains graphic content that viewers may find disturbing.
Police in Long Beach fatally shot a man in the street Sunday night after authorities allege he charged at officers with a knife during a standoff.
The incident began about 9:15 p.m. when police received a call from a man who said he was armed with a handgun and wanted to commit “suicide by cop,” according to a statement from the Long Beach Police Department.
Officers arrived in the 1600 block of Obispo Avenue and attempted to communicate with the man, to no avail, according to police.
Police used a helicopter to find the man in the area, and officers determined he had “something in his hands,” police said.
Police officers, including a mental-evaluation officer, were adjusting their position to better negotiate with the man about 10:15 p.m. when the man “charged at officers,” the police statement said.
Police opened fire at the man. It’s unclear how many officers shot at the man.
The shooting was partly captured on video by OnScene.TV, showing police firing multiple times at the man after he approached officers with his arms extended.
The man appeared to fall face-first onto the pavement.
Paramedics attempted to revive the man, but he was pronounced dead. The man’s name was not released pending notification of family.
No police officers were injured in the shooting, which is under investigation by the Police Department’s homicide detectives and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Before Sunday’s shooting, four people were fatally shot by police in Long Beach during the last 12 months, according to records compiled by The Times’ Homicide Report database.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Twitter: @MattHjourno.
UPDATES:
11:45 a.m.: This article was updated with context on police shootings in Long Beach.
This article was originally published at 7:40 a.m.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
