Man Loitering at Park Rushes Officers, Is Shot

A 27-year-old man loitering near a park playground in Orange was shot Thursday by police responding to calls from parents, authorities said.

The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana in critical condition, a police spokesman said.

“He’d been driving in and out of the parking lot and walking back and forth between the restrooms, and people called us because they were a little bit leery about him being near the kids,” Sgt. Dave Hill said.

When officers arrived about 3 p.m. at Eisenhower Park, Hill said, the man became very agitated. He “put his hand behind his back and told the officers he had a gun,” Hill said. “He was still jumping around and . . . rushed at the officers, thrusting his hand out in front of him” as if to shoot. “When he did that, the officers shot him,” Hill said.

No weapon was found on the man, who was shot at least twice, Hill said. The officers involved will be off duty while the police department investigates the incident, he said.