Note: the content of this video may be disturbing for some viewers.

One day after Long Beach police shot and killed a suspect as he ran from Sheriff’s deputies onto the beach, a cell phone video emerged of the incident as did additional details from the Long Beach Police Department on the shooting itself. 

The video was shot from an apartment building adjacent to the scene and shows 36-year-old Jason Conoscenti from the time he exited his vehicle on 14th Place with a dark rod or stick in his hand to moments later when he fled down the stairs and was shot by Long Beach police officers stationed on the populated beach below. 

In a statement about the officer-involved shooting, LBPD defended its actions, saying that the sound of stunbags being fired by Sheriffs deputies on the street above led the officers on the sand to believe Conoscenti had engaged in a gunfight with law enforcement:

Long Beach officers, who were located on the beach, east of the foot of the stairs with an obstructed view due to palm trees and shrubbery, heard gunshots from above and saw the suspect running toward the populated beach area…Believing the suspect had just engaged deputies in a gunfight, was still armed, and remained an immediate threat to law enforcement and the public gathered on the beach, the officers shouted verbal commands multiple times, as the suspect continued down the stairs…The suspect failed to surrender and after officers observed him reaching for his waist band, an officer involved shooting occurred.

The officer-involved shooting was the culmination of an hour-long chase that, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, originated at a Compton Target where Conoscenti had originally been detained for theft. Conoscenti allegedly brandished scissors while struggling with security personnel, then fled from the store and got into a white SUV, taking local streets at slow speeds and even stopping for traffic signals while avoiding spike strips placed in his path.    

Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau said the pursuit ended in the area of Ocean Boulevard and 14th Place, where for 15 minutes, the suspect refused to comply with deputies’ commands to exit the vehicle.

The Long Beach Homicide Detail investigates all officer-involved shootings. Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire and Greg Krabbe at (562) 570-7244.

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