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Man on golf course hit by Taser after urging police to shoot him

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A 53-year-old man who walked onto a Long Beach golf course and urged police to shoot him was taken into custody after being struck with rubber projectiles and subdued with a Taser.

Police said they sped to Recreation Golf Course after Richard Lavalle walked onto the green about 7:30 a.m. Sunday and told golfers that he was carrying a gun in his duffel bag and might shoot someone.

After police arrived and tried to talk to him, officers said Lavalle took off running across the golf course.

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During the chase, police said Lavalle reached toward his bag as if reaching for a gun, calling out to officers, “Shoot me!”

Police responded by striking him several times with rubber projectiles, then used a Taser to subdue him. Police said there was no gun in his bag.

Long Beach police said that Lavalle, who was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, will undergo a mental evaluation. His bail was set at $10,000.

Officers say Lavalle claimed he had served in the military and spent 17 years in federal prison for bank robbery.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website indicates he was arrested and booked into County Jail at least twice in the previous year but did not specify the charges.

“This was an extremely dangerous situation that could have easily resulted in an officer-involved shooting,” the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement.

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“Thanks to the quick response, tactics and discipline of the responding officers and sergeant, this situation was safely resolved and the patrons could return to their Sunday golf!”

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