Officer Kills Man Said to Be Armed
A Huntington Beach police officer shot and killed a man who allegedly pointed a rifle at him after a foot chase early Saturday.
Two officers on patrol on Ash Street first approached the man about 1:40 a.m., suspicious because he was dressed in dark clothes and peering into a parked car, according to a news release issued by the Huntington Beach Police Department.
“They thought perhaps he was going to break in,” said Lt. Dan Johnson. “When they went to talk to him, he ran away.”
The officers who gave chase did not realize the man had a rifle until they caught up with him, Johnson said.
“They lost sight of him and when they saw him again, he had a rifle in his hand. He pointed the rifle in their direction, and one of the officers shot him,” Johnson said.
The victim was struck in the upper torso an unknown number of times. He died a short time later at UCI Medical Center.
The officers were not injured. No names were released.
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