LONG BEACH : Officers Kill Gun-Waving Motorist After Crash

Long Beach police officers shot and killed a gun-waving motorist Wednesday afternoon after he crashed his car into two other vehicles, then jumped out and pulled the weapon, a Police Department spokeswoman said.

Officer Karen Kerr said the man, who had not yet been identified, drove a mile down the wrong side of Atlantic Boulevard before slamming into the other cars and injuring their occupants. Police were told by bystanders that the man was brandishing a gun at the crash site at Market Street.

“There were scores of people at the intersection, including a lot of children from a nearby school, and he was alternately raising and lowering the gun, fingering it and pointing it at the crowd,” Kerr said. “And when the officers arrived, he refused to put it down although they ordered him in English and Spanish to put it down. That’s when the officers fired.”