Police say they’ve arrested a man who led them on a pursuit through Central Long Beach Sunday night after a homicide that had happened a few hours earlier.

The killing took place at around 8:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of Gaviota Avenue, which is about two blocks south of Chittick Field, the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement.

Police said a 30-year-old man named Nelson Martinez Gonzalez was shot in the upper body and later died at a hospital.

“Detectives believe the victim was interacting with the suspect prior to the shooting, however, the motive for the shooting remains under investigation,” police said.

At about 12:30 a.m., officers found a vehicle believed to be connected to the shooting, police said.

The driver led officers on a chase before running from the car near Pacific Coast Highway and Walnut Avenue, according to the LBPD.

“SWAT eventually located the possible suspect inside the perimeter and took him into custody without incident,” police said.

Police identified the suspect as Ahmed Mahmoud, 41, of Long Beach. He was booked on suspicion of murder and various other crimes, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He was being held on $3.1 million bail, police said.

They urged anyone with information on the case to call Detectives Sean Magee or Juan Carlos Reyes at 562-570-7244. Tipsters may also call CrimeStoppers at 800-222-TIPS or lacrimestoppers.org

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the suspect’s name and his booking charges.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Jeremiah Dobruck is executive editor of the Long Beach Post where he oversees all day-to-day newsroom operations. In his time working as a journalist in Long Beach, he’s won numerous awards for his investigative reporting and editing. Before coming to the Post in 2018, he wrote for publications including the Press-Telegram, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.