Photo by Samuel Lippke

10:50am | A 19-year old suspect and a police sergeant were both taken to Long Beach hospitals after an altercation yesterday.

The suspect and sergeant became involved in a struggle and the sergeant fired his weapon. There is no word yet on whether or not the suspect was hit by the gunfire. Four military servicemen were nearby and aided the sergeant, taking the suspect into custody. It is unclear what injuries were suffered by both the suspect and sergeant, but neither is life-threatening.

The incident began when officers responded to calls that a man was threatening citizens with a knife in the 400 block of West 4th Street. Officers arrived on scene and the suspect fled. Officers established a perimeter and searched for the suspect but he was not located.

Police were preparing to leave the area when the suspect confronted and attacked the police sergeant and the officer-involved shooting occurred during the struggle.

The Long Beach Police Department and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will conduct independent investigations into the incident, which is routine for officer-involved shootings. Anyone with information should contact Homicide Detectives David Rios or Roger Zottneck at 562.570.7244.