LONG BEACH, CA – A shooting that injured three men in Long Beach early Tuesday escalated into a police pursuit on the northbound 710 Freeway, where authorities say the suspect fired at pursuing officers before the chase ended with a crash in Los Angeles and the driver’s arrest.
According to the Long Beach Police Department, officers were dispatched at approximately 12:24 a.m. on Sept. 1 to the 200 block of Aquarium Way following reports of a shooting involving multiple victims.
Officers arriving at the scene found three adult men injured.
Two of the victims were transported to a hospital with injuries police described as non-life-threatening, while the third was treated at the scene and did not require hospital transportation.
Police quickly developed information about a possible suspect and associated vehicle.
Officers later located that vehicle near Burnett Street and Pacific Avenue and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver did not stop, according to LBPD, prompting officers to begin a vehicle pursuit.
The chase eventually moved onto the northbound 710 Freeway, where the confrontation became substantially more dangerous.
Police said the suspect fired shots toward pursuing officers while traveling on the freeway. An officer-involved shooting then occurred during the pursuit.
LBPD has not publicly detailed how many shots the suspect allegedly fired, how many officers returned fire or precisely where along the freeway the exchange occurred.
No officers were struck or injured.
Police also confirmed that the suspect was not struck by gunfire.
The pursuit continued into the city of Los Angeles before ending when the suspect’s vehicle collided with a pole.
After the crash, officers used a 40mm less-lethal weapon while taking the suspect into custody, according to the department.
The driver was arrested and transported to a hospital for injuries sustained in the collision.
Police recovered a firearm in connection with the incident.
Authorities have not released the suspect’s name.
They have also not publicly announced what criminal charges the man may ultimately face once he is medically cleared, and the department has not specified whether the original Aquarium Way shooting and the alleged gunfire toward officers are expected to result in separate charges.
The motive for the initial shooting remains under investigation.
Investigation Now Covers Several Separate Scenes
The case presents investigators with multiple stages to reconstruct: the original shooting on Aquarium Way, the location where police encountered the suspect vehicle, the northbound 710 Freeway where shots were allegedly fired at officers, and the eventual crash and arrest in Los Angeles.
Each portion of the incident could generate different physical and digital evidence, including firearms evidence, vehicle evidence and police recordings.
LBPD confirmed that officers involved in the response were equipped with body-worn cameras and said the department is reviewing that footage.
Police said the footage will be released publicly as soon as the department’s review process allows.
The department also said the officer-involved shooting will undergo a full, multi-level review, consistent with its procedures for shootings involving police personnel.
At this stage, authorities have not disclosed what prompted the initial confrontation on Aquarium Way or whether the three injured men knew the suspect.
Police have likewise not said whether investigators believe the shooting was targeted, although the source material provided for the incident describes it that way.
The official LBPD statement itself says the circumstances and motive remain under investigation.
That distinction is important because authorities have not yet publicly established what led to the gunfire or the relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims.
No Officers or Suspect Hit by Gunfire
Despite shots being exchanged during the freeway pursuit, police said neither the suspect nor any officers were struck.
The suspect’s injuries instead resulted from the vehicle collision that ended the chase, according to LBPD.
The conditions of the three people injured in the original shooting were described as non-life-threatening.
Police have not released their identities.
The department also has not provided details about the type of firearm recovered or whether ballistic testing has connected it to the original shooting on Aquarium Way and the subsequent shots allegedly fired during the chase.
Those questions remain part of the continuing investigation.
Pursuit Stretched From Long Beach Into Los Angeles
The 710 Freeway serves as one of the principal north-south corridors connecting Long Beach with communities farther north in Los Angeles County.
In this case, the freeway became part of an active crime scene after the suspect allegedly fired toward officers while fleeing.
Authorities have not said how long the pursuit lasted, how fast the vehicle was traveling or whether other motorists were placed in immediate danger during the exchange of gunfire.
They also have not identified the precise downtown Los Angeles intersection where the vehicle struck the pole.
The department’s early release characterizes the information as preliminary, meaning details may change as detectives review evidence, recordings and statements from those involved.
That review will likely be especially significant because the incident involves both an alleged shooting by the suspect and an officer-involved shooting during a moving pursuit.
LBPD said it will conduct a complete review of the police shooting while detectives continue investigating the original attack and the suspect’s actions during the chase.
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact Long Beach police detectives at 562-570-7244.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through L.A. Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
The investigation remains ongoing.
