Man taken into custody in Long Beach after allegedly hitting officer with handgun
A man who hit a Long Beach police officer in the head with a handgun and then barricaded himself in a house was taken into custody Saturday morning, authorities said.
Officers initially spotted the man in a park about 1:45 a.m., hours after the park had closed, said Marlene Arrona, a spokeswoman for the police department. After officers approached him, a fight ensued and the man struck one of the officers in the head with a gun.
The suspect then fled to a nearby residence in the 700 block of Harding Street, police said. The people inside the house came outside, but the man refused to do so.
Neighbors were evacuated from their homes for hours as a SWAT team searched the property and eventually found the man, who faces charges of assaulting a police officer. Arrona said the injured officer had “superficial wounds” to the face and was treated at the scene by the Long Beach Fire Department.
An investigation is continuing, Arrona said. Residents were allowed to return to their homes around 7:40 a.m.
Follow me on Twitter at @LATimesEmily
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