Police say they shot man because they thought he was armed

Long Beach police officers shot and killed a man because they believed he was about to fire on them, authorities said Wednesday.

The man was identified as Tyler Damon Woods, 19, who lived in Rialto, the Long Beach Police Department said.

Woods was in a vehicle with several others and fled from officers early Tuesday after a traffic stop, triggering a pursuit with search dogs and a helicopter, according to police.

Officers interviewed people in the vehicle and learned that Woods had a felony warrant for robbery and carjacking in Los Angeles, police officials said in a statement.

Woods was spotted on a third-floor balcony and then climbed to the roof of the apartment building in the 400 block of Nebraska Avenue.

“Once on the roof, the suspect took a kneeling position and began to turn towards [officers],” police said. “The officers discharged their weapons believing the suspect was about to fire on them.”

Fire Department personnel pronounced Woods dead at the scene. Police did not say whether a weapon was found. The incident was the second fatal Long Beach police shooting in little more than a week.

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robert.lopez@latimes.com