A man was seriously injured when he was shot by police after he allegedly stabbed one woman and held another hostage inside a Long Beach home Sunday night, according to authorities.
The incident began when police responded to a stabbing call in the 900 block of Washington Place at 10:50PM, said Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) spokeswoman Delmy Hughes.
Arriving officers found a woman who had been stabbed multiple times in the upper body by a known suspect in the 800 block of Washington Place and discovered that there was possibly another victim being held against their will, Hughes said.
“Additional officers responded and located the suspect at a residence in the 800 block of Washington place,” Hughes said. “They could see the suspect through an open door holding a female adult against her will with an unknown stabbing instrument to her throat.”
Officers could hear the female victim screaming for help from inside the home.
A containment was then set up by officers who also ordered the suspect to drop the weapon, but the suspect refused, officials stated.
“They could hear the suspect making threats to the victim that he was going to kill her, as she was screaming for help,” according to a release. “The suspect was using the victim as a body shield as officers tried to negotiate with him to drop the weapon and to surrender peacefully.”
The SWAT team was then immediately activated.
Officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect for about 30 minutes but the suspect ignored their orders and continued threatening the victim, officials stated. The constant threatening behavior led to an officer-involved shooting so the victim could be rescued.
“Officers then immediately entered the residence and conducted a hostage rescue, and started administering lifesaving measures to the suspect,” Hughes said.
Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) medics already staged nearby before the shooting took over life-saving efforts and transported the suspect to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition, according to Hughes.
The stabbing victim was also transported to a local hospital and is in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries. The victim held hostage by the suspect was treated at the scene and released.
Authorities said one officer fired their weapon at the suspect, striking him in the upper torso, but did not disclose the number of rounds fired.
The relationship between the suspect and the victims is that they are all friends and not in a dating relationship.
The incident is being investigated independently by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office along with the Long Beach Homicide Detail—both which investigate officer-involved shootings.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:35PM with information on the victims, the officer-involved shooting and the relationship between the suspect and victims.
{FG_GEOMAP [33.7765501,-118.18128609999997] FG_GEOMAP}