Arson pros are calling this a "suspicious" blaze: A fire broke out at a Long Beach residence shortly after three men were arrested there on drug charges. Inside the house, officers serving a search warrant found drugs of all kinds, as well as a menagerie of exotic pets.
Suspects Arrested in Home Filled With Pot Plants, Shrooms, and Exotic Animals May Have Deliberately Set Building on Fire
DA Won't File Charges Against Cops Who Fatally Shot Long Beach Man Wielding a Water Nozzle
The district attorney's office said today that it wasn't going to file any criminal charges against police who shot a Long Beach man who turned out to be "armed" only with a water nozzle.
2 Arrested for Halloween Attack on Gay Men in Long Beach
Authorities in Long Beach are classifying a "brutal attack" on two gay men as hate crimes, and today announced the arrest of two suspects, reports the Press-Telegram. The attack took place Monday night in the vicinity of The Gay and Lesbian Center of Greater Long Beach.
Long Beach Hate Crimes: 5 Attacks on Gay Men Reported in 10 Days
Police in Long Beach are investigating a string of attacks targeting gay men that have taken place over the past 10 days. There have been three assaults, which the Long Beach Police Department say are unrelated, reports the Press-Telegram. Two of the three happened in the Broadway Corridor, a section of the city that is known for being particularly "gay-friendly." Those incidents are considered hate crimes.
2 Men Found Shot to Death Inside Car on Side of 405 Freeway
Two men in their thirties were found shot to death inside a vehicle on the side of the 405 Freeway just north of the Long Beach Boulevard on-ramp. The victims have been identified as Reginald Watson Sajonas, 37, of Anaheim, and Derek Alexander Pouono, 36, of Long Beach, according to the Press-Telegram.
Grown Woman Arrested for Pointing Laser Beam at Cop Choppers
Teens and young adults have done it (and been put in the pokey), but it's a bit unexpected to learn that a grown woman, namely 34-year-old Kelly Ann Smith, has been arrested on charges she pointed a laser beam at "an LBPD helicopter and at a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department helicopter," reports the Press-Telegram.
SWAT Officers in Standoff with Gunman in Long Beach Motel*
*UPDATE 9:16AM: "The suspect is wanted for questioning in a deadly shooting in Panorama City around 9:30 p.m. Sunday," says KTLA, adding: "It's believed the victim, who died at a hospital, was the suspect's stepson."
The Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officers are assisting the Long Beach Police Department at a standoff with a suspected gunman who has barricaded himself inside a motel room since early this morning, according to KTLA.
Blue Line Train Collides with Long Beach PD Patrol Car
This afternoon a Blue Line train traveling southbound on Long Beach Blvd. near 16th Street collided with a Long Beach Police Department patrol car. The force of the train pushed the patrol car over 100 feet, according to a live report on KTLA. The officer is alive, conscious, and alert; it is not known at this time if he was en route in response to a call or why his vehicle was in the path of the train. Reports from the scene indicate that some of the Blue Line passengers are suffering from back pain. Responders from the Long Beach Fire Department are at the crash site, and an investigation is already underway to determine the cause of the accident.
Mentally Ill Woman Steals Police Car in Long Beach
A woman pulled up to a Boyle Heights gas station in a Long Beach police cruiser early this morning. Suspicious as why a civilian clad woman was rummaging through the cruiser for money to purchase a lighter, the gas station attendants called police who responded and arrested her around 3:30 a.m., according to the LA Times. It is unknown how the cruiser was stolen, but the LAPD has transfered her into Long Beach's custody.
3 Arrests in Last Night's Long Beach Anti-Prop 8 Rally
The rally and march began last night at around 7, and by 10 had made its way back to the starting point at Broadway and Redondo Avenues in Long Beach. Although the local police and the LA Co. Sheriffs had been keeping a watchful eye on the crowds, by the end of the evening they were "met with resistance" when they urged the protesters to bring the even to a close. After they were reportedly "urged to move on or face arrest," three people were "detained on suspicion of inciting a riot," reports cbs2.com. A group of people in favor of Prop 8 were also present, but remained across the street holding up signs.
Shot LAPD Officer in Long Beach May Have Been Drunk
On Wednesday after midnight an off-duty LAPD officer was shot by Long Beach Police after calls came in that a man was wandering down a street with a gun. Sources within the department told the Press-Telegram that friends of shot officer told LBPD he had been drinking heavily before he wandered off. The paper also says unamed officers described the gun as either a "large shotgun or a pellet gun with a light on the end of it." They also said that the shooting happened within a matter of seconds of the officer's arrival with no explanation of what exactly prompted officers to shoot.
Long Beach Police Shoot LAPD Officer
An off-duty LAPD Officer was shot early this morning around 12:30 a.m. by Long Beach Police responding to a "person with a gun" call. Few details about what led officers to shoot have come out so far as Long Beach officials are only saying that when officers contacted the suspect, the shooting occurred.

