51-year-old James Kirby Simpson of Long Beach was arrested yesterday following a dispute with a police officer.

Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) officers were dispatched at 5:20PM on September 30 to the area of Broadway and Atlantic regarding a possibly intoxicated man running in and out of traffic and lying in the street, said LBPD spokeswoman Marlene Arrona. Arriving officers found Simpson lying on the sidewalk before he arose to shove an approaching officer and then fled the scene.

Assisting officers then found Simpson in the area of 1st and Alamitos and he was taken into custody. Simpson was charged for battery on a police officer and resisting/obstructing a public officer. He is currently being held at Long Beach City Jail on $20K bail.

According to jail records, Simpson was previously arrested on Sept. 24 for public intoxication in the 3800 block of Atlantic Avenue before being released on Sept. 26 on $250 bail.

The investigation from yesterday is ongoing, and no other information is available at this time. We will update this story as we learn more.

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