At about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Long Beach officers were flagged down by a woman at Pacific Coast Highway and Long Beach Boulevard. The woman told police that her ex-boyfriend, who was armed, was making threats against her and her family.
The officers tracked the suspect down to an Arco gas station at Central Avenue and Del Amo Boulevard. The officers say they confronted the suspect, who opened fire on them.
The gun battle escalated as the suspect fled on foot to nearby Mills Memorial Park, where he and officers exchanged more gunfire.
"It was like a shootout, so I took off and ran for shelter because my room faces the park, and I didn't know if any bullets were going to come through," said Sophia Byrd, an area resident.
While Long Beach police pursued the suspect on foot, LAPD was assisting in the air.
The foot pursuit continued as the suspect headed east into a neighboring residential area. Officers say it appeared the armed suspect was trying to break into a home. That's when officers shot and killed him.
"We all got to think, if the officers did not make contact with this man, what could he have done? Could he have injured or killed somebody else?" said Long Beach Deputy Chief Robert Luna.
No officers were injured.
The incident is under investigation. The identity of the suspect was not immediately released. Also, the suspect's motivation behind those initial threats remains unknown. It's also unknown why the suspect was in the Carson area to begin with.
