Military Officers Aid Long Beach Police In Standoff
LONG BEACH (CBS) — Four active-duty servicemen came to the aid of a police officer who was attacked by a man before he shot at the suspect Wednesday evening.
At about 6 p.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of West 4th Street in Long Beach, a man was brandishing a sharp instrument and threatening people, Lisa Massacani of the Long Beach Police Department said.
As multiple Long Beach police officers arrived, the suspect fled, and a perimeter was set up in the area. A search ensued and police did not initially locate a suspect.
However, as they were leaving the area, a Long Beach police officer was confronted by a man, who attacked him and injured him with a sharp instrument, Massacani said.
"An officer involved shooting occurred while the officer was fighting with the suspect," she said.
The four servicemen then stepped in, coming "to the officer's aid and took the suspect into custody," she said.
Massacani said late Wednesday she did not know what branch of the military the four men were in, whether they were in uniform, or what they were doing in the neighborhood.
The injured police officer and the suspect were both taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening.
The police officer had a stabbing or slashing injury, Massacani said.
The suspect was injured in the altercation with the police officer, but it was unclear if he was wounded by gunfire when the officer shot at him, she said.
Anyone with further information is urged to call Long Beach police detectives David Rios or Roger Zottneck at (562) 570-7244.
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