Updated

Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Jul 22

Los Alamitos Police Shoot Machete Suspect Outside UCI Health, Triggering Lockdown After 10 a.m. Road-Rage Pursuit

Updated

Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Jul 22

Los Alamitos Police Shoot Machete Suspect Outside UCI Health, Triggering Lockdown After 10 a.m. Road-Rage Pursuit

Q: What will bodycam footage reveal about the final moments that justified officers using lethal force on the machete-wielding man?

It is not yet known what bodycam footage will show, because no police body-camera video has been released or described publicly in this case. Based on the information available, investigators will likely be looking for whether the footage confirms officers’ account that the man, armed with a machete, ignored commands, resisted crisis negotiators, was not stopped by bean-bag rounds, and then advanced in a way officers believed posed an immediate threat. That sequence is the central stated justification for the use of lethal force. The public record so far indicates the suspect had been acting erratically, fled from a vehicle after a pursuit, and was seen pacing and swinging the machete near Katella Avenue and Cherry Street, close to UCI Medical Center. Authorities say non-lethal options were tried before shots were fired. No officers, hospital staff, or patients were reported injured. Whether the shooting was legally justified will depend on what the video and other evidence show about distance, speed of movement, officers’ warnings, the suspect’s actions with the machete, and whether there was a realistic chance to contain or disarm him without gunfire. Those are standard issues in officer-involved shooting reviews. The Los Alamitos police investigation team and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office are examining the shooting. Until bodycam footage or official findings are released, any claim about what the final moments “proved” remains unconfirmed.

3 articles · Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Jul 22

A shirtless man wielding a machete was shot and critically wounded by Los Alamitos police shortly before midday outside UCI Health in Los Alamitos, forcing the medical facility into an immediate lockdown.
The confrontation followed reports just after 10 a.m. of a possible DUI and road-rage incident involving a Long Beach Fire Department paramedic vehicle that was transporting a patient; officers later found the suspect vehicle on Katella Avenue.
After a pursuit, the driver abandoned the vehicle and ran before the shooting near Cherry Street and Katella Avenue. Long Beach police said none of its officers fired weapons.
UCI Health said patients and staff were safe and care continued uninterrupted, with no injuries reported to officers, hospital workers or patients.
The suspect's identity, condition and the cause of the initial road-rage dispute remain unclear; the Orange County District Attorney's Office will investigate the shooting.