Police surrounded a yard in West Long Beach and spent about two hours trying to take a man into custody after he was reported acting erratically in the street near the 405 Freeway.

Firefighters and police, including a K9 unit, headed to the scene near Wardlow Road and Salmon Avenue around 1:20 p.m. after authorities got a report of a man acting violently and setting a small fire, according to Long Beach police spokeswoman Allison Gallagher.

Neighbor Linda Hurtado-Luna said she’d seen the man in the street charging at cars before police arrived. She said she was concerned for the man’s safety, but also worried that the man may feel provoked to harm her or her child who was playing in the front yard.

“We don’t want anything to happen to him, but he needs help,” she said.

Officers tried to convince the man to surrender, but after he did not cooperate, they used a Taser before taking him into custody, Gallagher said.

Gallagher said the man will be medically cleared before being taken to jail.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from police.