On Jan. 15, at approximately 11:14am officers from the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) were dispatched to a restaurant in the area of 7th Street and Bellflower Boulevard regarding a female adult who was threatening citizens by swinging a knife at them.
Officers responded to the area and located the female suspect who was swinging the knife at passersby, police said. The woman also swung the knife at arriving officers, according to the LBPD.
“Officers contacted her and tried to deescalate the situation by negotiating with her to surrender,” reads a LBPD press release. “However, she refused. She then began walking quickly onto the veterans hospital property. As officers continued trying to deescalate the situation, she continued to swing the knife at them. In order to try and stop her immediate threat and take her into custody before she could hurt anyone, the officers utilized an intermediate force option— conductive electrical weapon— however, the deployment of the device was ineffective.”
The officers continued trying verbal commands, but the suspect stopped, turned and advanced on them with the knife, leading to an officer-involved shooting, the LBPD said.
“Officers immediately began life-saving measures,” the LBPD release states. “Once Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived, they rendered aid to the suspect and transported her to a local hospital.”
The suspect was later pronounced deceased at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office will determine her identification and conduct an independent investigation as to the cause of death.
“Further investigation found that more than a half dozen citizens had called police about the suspect wielding a knife and trying to stab and cut people,” the LBPD said. “Three victims were located during the subsequent investigation. None of the three victims were injured.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent investigation of the shooting, as they do with all officer-involved shootings that result in injury or death in the county.
The Long Beach Homicide Detail also investigates all officer-involved shootings, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Those with information regarding the incident are encouraged to call Long Beach homicide Detectives at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to a smart phone or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
Source: LBPD
