Officer-Involved Shooting Results In Parolee Hospitalized

LONG BEACH, CA — A 27-year-old parolee that officers feared was retrieving a weapon was hospitalized in stable condition Monday after being wounded in an officer-involved shooting in Long Beach, police said. The shooting occurred about 8:20 p.m. Saturday in the 2100 block of Spring Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department, which identified the wounded suspect as Ronald Clark of Bellflower.

Officers were dispatched to a call regarding a group that was loitering and upon arrival saw 20-30 subjects with open alcoholic beverage containers near them, police said.

When the officers approached, Clark took off running, failing to obey commands to stop, according to the LBPD.

Clark ran to an occupied vehicle and tried to get in through the front passenger door, police said.

"The officers did not know the relationship between the fleeing suspect and the occupants of the vehicle," according to a police statement.

Clark continued to ignore commands, prompting officers zap him with a stun gun to keep him from getting in the vehicle, police said.

"The deployment of the Taser device was ineffective and the officers now observed the suspect reaching toward his waistband," police said. "The officers gave multiple lawful commands for the suspect to put his hands in the air and stop reaching towards his waistband.

However, the suspect continued to ignore the orders. Fearing the suspect was retrieving a weapon, an officer-involved shooting occurred."

Clark was hit in the lower body and was taken into custody. Fire department personnel took him to a hospital, police said.

"A weapon was not recovered at the scene of the shooting," police said. "However, drugs were recovered."

Clark was subsequently found to have an outstanding arrest warrant that listed him as possibly armed and dangerous. He was also on active parole for robbery, police said.

"The department experienced some technical issues with the body worn camera pilot program equipment on this date, and the officers involved in the incident were not equipped with their body worn cameras during their shift," police said.

"Video of the incident was discovered at a nearby location and was recovered by detectives."

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