A shooting that left three people hurt in the 200 block of Aquarium Way on Tuesday set off a chain of violence stretching nearly 20 miles up the 710 Freeway, ending with the suspect exchanging gunfire with officers and crashing into a pole in downtown Los Angeles. Long Beach police say the suspect fired at pursuing officers before the pursuit ended at East 11th Street and South Santa Fe Avenue, where the suspect was taken into custody after the crash.
According to KTLA, Long Beach police responded to a shooting report in the 200 block of Aquarium Way, a stretch of the city's waterfront tucked beside the Aquarium of the Pacific, a tourist draw that pulls in more than 1.6 million visitors a year, according to Visit Long Beach. Officers found three victims at the scene. Two of them suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to a local hospital, while the third was treated at the scene, per the outlet's report.
Traffic Stop Turns Into Freeway Pursuit
Officers identified the suspect vehicle near West Burnett Street and Pacific Avenue and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled, according to the same account. That flight escalated into a pursuit on the northbound 710 Freeway, a corridor that runs roughly 20 miles from the Port of Long Beach into downtown Los Angeles and carries a heavy mix of container trucks and commuter traffic, according to Caltrans.
During the pursuit, the suspect fired at the officers chasing him, police said, and officers returned fire. It is not known whether the suspect or any officers were struck by gunfire during the exchange, the station's report notes. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed into a pole at East 11th Street and South Santa Fe Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, and the suspect was transported to a hospital for crash-related injuries, police said. Officers recovered a firearm from the scene, and the suspect's identity had not been immediately released.
Freeway Closures and Ongoing Investigation
The shooting investigation left the northbound 710 Freeway lanes closed at Long Beach Boulevard, and police urged motorists to avoid the area, per the report. The article was written by Tony Kurzweil, with Nancy Fontan contributing to the report.
What the Suspect Could Face
Firing at officers during a pursuit carries severe legal exposure. Under California Penal Code Section 245(d)(1), assault with a firearm on a peace officer performing their duties is a felony punishable by four, six, or eight years in state prison, according to FindLaw, though prosecutors must prove the suspect knew or reasonably should have known the person they fired at was an officer on duty. Fleeing law enforcement with willful or wanton disregard for public safety is separately prosecuted under Vehicle Code Section 2800.2, a wobbler offense carrying up to three years in state prison, per the Shouse Law Group, and that charge does not require proof of actual injury or property damage.
Rules Governing When Officers Can Fire
Long Beach police policy strictly limits when officers may discharge firearms at or from a moving vehicle, permitting it only when there is no other reasonable way to stop an imminent deadly threat, or when deadly force beyond the vehicle itself is directed at officers or bystanders, according to department policy documents obtained through Long Beach Police Department records. The department also formally rescinded use of the Pursuit Intervention Technique, or PIT maneuver, in 2020, meaning officers chasing the suspect were largely limited to spike strips and air support rather than physical intervention to stop the fleeing vehicle.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Freeway Chases
Tuesday's chase adds to a run of high-speed pursuits that have crossed onto the 710 Freeway in recent months, including a U-Haul chase through Boyle Heights and an earlier CHP pursuit that ran from Chino to Compton. Statewide, nearly 12,000 police pursuits occurred across California in 2022, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries to drivers, passengers, and bystanders, according to data cited by Fox 11 Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department alone recorded a record 1,116 chases in 2024 that resulted in 114 civilian injuries and three deaths, per ABC7 Los Angeles.
Under state law, agencies are required to file detailed reports on every pursuit. California Vehicle Code Section 14602.1 mandates that Long Beach police submit a pursuit report to the California Highway Patrol within 30 days using standard CHP Form 187A, meaning a fuller official account of Tuesday's chase and shooting is expected to follow in the coming weeks.
