Man Tasered after threatening to shoot Long Beach golfers

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A Sunday morning at the Recreation Golf Course in Long Beach quickly turned into a dangerous situation.

At 7:30 a.m., Long Beach police responded to a call that there was a man with a gun on the golf course located in the 500 block of Deukmejian Drive.

Responding officers found the suspect walking around with a duffel bag. The suspect made statements to golfers that he had a gun in his bag and that he might shoot someone, police said.

Police tried to contact the suspect, later identified as 53-year-old Richard Lavalle, but he took off running.

Officers chased after Lavalle, who was allegedly reaching toward the bag and saying, "Shoot me!"

The suspect was hit several times with rubber launchers to no avail. When officers were able to get close enough, a Taser was used.

Lavalle was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. A gun was not found in the suspect's duffel bag.

LaValle was charged with resisting arrest and will undergo a mental evaluation. The suspect claims to have served in the military and spent 17 years in federal prison for bank robbery.