Authorities today arrested two men, including a shooting suspect, who led California Highway Patrol officers on a chase from North Long Beach to Cerritos, where their vehicle crashed into the sidewalk in a residential neighborhood.
The shooting occurred about 2:30 a.m. near Butler Avenue and Artesia Boulevard in Long Beach, said Long Beach police spokeswoman Lisa Massacani. The man wounded in the shooting was expected to survive, she added.
A short time after the shooting, California Highway Patrol officers tried to stop a beige colored Chevy Suburban the suspect was riding in near the Artesia (91) and San Gabriel River (605) freeways, but it sped off, according to police.
The chase led to Cerritos, where the suspect vehicle crashed into the curb on Bigelow Street and Allingham Avenue -- near the exit to a Cerritos neighborhood along Studebaker Road, according to law enforcement personnel at the scene.
When the SUV crashed, its occupants ran off into the neighborhood, said Sgt. Diane Hecht of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Headquarters Bureau.
Authorities immediately set up a command post at the Gas Station at Studebaker Road and South Street. An armored Sheriff's Department SWAT vehicle was also parked at the command post, however, it was unclear whether members of the SWAT team were actively involved in the search.
For the next several hours, personnel from the CHP and the conducted an aerial and foot search with the help of canine units. Long Beach police units were also at the scene.
Both the driver and the shooting suspect were apprehended a few hours later. Their names have not been released.
Residents who live within the containment area were awakened by the sound of the helicopter unit, sirens, and law enforcement personnel making announcements on a PA system -- leading some residents to turn to Facebook about the early morning stir.
"What the (expletive) is going on in Cerritos?!?!....helicopter and cops circling over my neighborhood....announcing to lock up and not leave cause the suspects on the loose...," one resident named Julie posted on her Facebook status.
