Police say a catalytic converter thief pointed a gun at a man who confronted him outside a Belmont Heights home and later fired the weapon, but no injuries were reported.
Shortly after 6:20 a.m. Monday, officers responded to a report of a person with a gun on East Sixth Street near Ximeno Avenue, according to Long Beach police.
When they arrived, officers found that a man had confronted a group of men stealing a catalytic converter. During the confrontation, one of the thieves pointed a firearm at the man and fired “in an unknown direction,” police said.
The shot caused the man to flee and the suspects also ran off, police said.
No suspect descriptions were immediately available.
A user on NextDoor posted that she woke up to her partner chasing the suspected thieves down the street after hearing them use a saw to cut off the catalytic converter.
The person’s neighbor said the group pointed a gun at him through a window and “shot it in the air” before leaving.
Police did not confirm those details.