Woman shot, hurt by Long Beach police was carrying a fake handgun

A woman wounded in an officer-involved shooting Saturday in downtown Long Beach was carrying a fake semi-automatic pistol, authorities say.

Homicide detectives identified the woman as Adeline Arroyo, 32, who remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition. The Long Beach resident was booked on suspicion of brandishing a replica firearm in the presence of a police officer.

Officers arrived at 3rd Street and Long Beach Boulevard about 9:50 a.m. Saturday, said police spokeswoman Marlene Arrona. They negotiated with Arroyo near a post office after people called the Police Department and reported seeing a woman armed with a handgun.

Police said they saw Arroyo holding an object in her right hand, but she tried to conceal it in her clothing. Mental health specialists arrived at the scene to negotiate with her, though they were unsuccessful, prompting officers to call in the SWAT team.

At one point, Arroyo started walking toward police, removing clothing covering the item in her right hand, showing what observers thought looked like a handgun, authorities said. She initially aimed it toward the postal building, then turned it toward officers.

The officers fired on Arroyo. In a video, Arroyo is seen wearing a blue-gray T-shirt, plaid pajama pants and flip-flops, authorities said. The mental health specialists tried to talk to Arroyo for more than an hour before gunshots were fired, Arrona said.

The L.A. County district attorney’s office will launch an independent investigation into the shooting. This is routine in officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death. Long Beach has had 19 such shootings this year, compared with nine in 2012.

The public is asked to call Long Beach Dets. Teryl Hubert and Mark Bigel Guarino at (562) 570-7244 with information. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting LACrimeStoppers.org.

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E-mail: anh.do@latimes.com
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