A 25-year-old Long Beach man was hospitalized and is in stable condition after a physical confrontation with police, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD).
On Jan. 20, at approximately 6pm, LBPD officers saw “a suspicious person on a bicycle in the area of Burnett Street and Santa Fe Avenue and attempted to contact that person for traffic violations they observed,” according to the LBPD. However, the suspect was not compliant with the officers’ “lawful detention and commands,” and he subsequently fled from them on foot and a foot pursuit ensued.
An officer chased the suspect to the north/south alley between Adriatic and Baltic avenues, south of 25th Street, where he caught up to the suspect. The suspect continued to not comply with the officer’s commands, and, when the officer attempted to take him into custody, he violently assaulted the officer, according to police.
“The suspect punched the officer in the face by the suspect more than once,” police said, “and, during the violent assault, the suspect tried to disarm him of his firearm and an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
One officer fired his weapon, striking the suspect in a lower extremity. The suspect was then taken into custody without further incident. Long Beach Fire Department personnel responded and transported the suspect to a local hospital, where he is listed in stable condition with a non-life threatening injury.
The suspect has been identified as Luis Perez of Long Beach. He is on active felony probation for burglary. He will be booked into the Long Beach jail once medical personnel clear him. Suspect Perez will be booked and charged with felony assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office will conduct an independent investigation, as they do with all officer-involved shootings that result in injury or death, according to the LBPD.
Those with information regarding the incident are asked to call 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
