Several people who came to witness the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach were shocked as an armed man was gunned down by the police right in front of their eyes.
According to a statement by the city’s police spokesman Jennifer Carey, officers have responded to the reports saying an armed man had contact with him on Saturday afternoon. When the suspect did not follow any instructions by the authorities, the police started opening fire.
The still unidentified man was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead.
The spokeswoman said a gun was discovered at the scene.
According to witnesses, multiple shots have been heard near the bicycle and pedestrian trail out south of the pier. It rang following the conclusion of the surfing contest that day.
The suspect was caught on a video as he rolled on the sand. He seemed to be reaching for something before the police released gunfire to hit him as people around screamed, KRON4 reported.
“We started hearing pop, pop, pop,” according to the statement of Hector Tovar to The Orange County Register. “I thought it was fireworks, that’s how many rounds there were.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s investigators and the Huntington Beach police will work together in the investigation. Included in the probe are the body cameras of the officers’ which have been activated during the incident.
