Police Fatally Shoot Driver After He Rams Patrol Car

A man wanted in a reported shooting led authorities on a high-speed chase through Long Beach before being shot to death by police officers when he rammed his car into a squad car, officials said.

The unidentified suspect, believed to be about 20, died Sunday morning at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center where he was taken with multiple gunshot wounds, Long Beach police spokeswoman Karen Owens said.

The shooting culminated a sequence of events that began shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday with a report of a shooting at a house party at 4th Street and Almond Avenue in Long Beach.

At least one shot was fired at the house, Owens said. No one was hurt, she said.

Officers spotted three men in an older-model Oldsmobile leaving the scene. They followed the car until backup units arrived and then ordered the car over, Owens said.

After the three men left the car, one ran back inside the vehicle, then sped away, Owens said. He led at least four squad cars on a chase south on Pacific Coast Highway for a short time before crashing on Ohio Avenue. Then, shifting into reverse, he plowed into a squad car behind him, leaving the rear half of his car perched atop the cruiser’s hood.

Owens said officers were justified in shooting the suspect because he had assaulted them with a deadly weapon, his car.

The suspect died at the hospital at 1:45 a.m. Sunday, Owens said.

Owens said the two other men originally spotted in the Olds, 26 and 19, both from Long Beach, probably would not face criminal charges.

They were being held Sunday for further questioning but were expected to be released, she said.

“It appears that the [dead suspect] was the individual responsible for the shooting at the party,” Owens said.