Huntington Beach police respond to alleged shooting, fire on suspect
Two men have been hospitalized following a shooting involving Huntington Beach police that occurred Monday afternoon in Sunset Beach, according to authorities.
Huntington Beach Police Department spokesperson Jennifer Carey said officers responded to reports of a shooting at 12:20 p.m. in the Sunset Beach area. When officers arrived in the area of South Pacific Avenue and 3rd Street, they located an armed male from Norwalk, Carey said, suspected of shooting a bicyclist.
At that point an officer-involved shooting occurred.
“Officers gave demands and the suspect did not comply,” Carey said.
The initial shooting victim and the suspect were transported to a local hospital. Carey said the male bicyclist suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds and was in stable condition as of Monday night. The suspect is in critical condition.
She added that the events that led to the initial shooting, which police responded to, were still under investigation. The initial shooting is believed to have occurred further north on South Pacific Avenue, near 7th Street.
Police officials said no officers were injured and no public safety threat existed. They closed off the grassy area around South Pacific Avenue with police tape.
Juan Lopez of Lake Forest said he was just south of the area, near the traffic circle off Warner Avenue, when he heard police ordering someone to drop their weapon. He then ran for cover after hearing gunshots.
Jim Idleman of Sunset Beach appeared perplexed as he approached the crime scene from the parking lot near King Neptune’s bar. Idleman was trying to visit his friend in the community.
“It’s usually pretty quiet here,” he said. “You never really see anything like this.”
Updates
9:37 a.m. Dec. 28, 2021: This article was updated with further information about the initial shooting and the victim’s condition.
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