Officers Shoot Woman with Replica Handgun

Long Beach — On Nov. 16, Long Beach Police Department officers shot a woman waving a replica handgun near 3^rd Street and Long Beach Boulevard, officials said in a released statement.

Long Beach resident Adeline Arroyo, 32, was booked for displaying a replica firearm in the presence of a police officer. She remains at a local hospital, where she is being treated.

Police officers arrived at the scene at about 9:50 a.m., responding to several calls reporting that there was a woman with handgun near the U.S. Post Office in downtown Long Beach.

When officers found the woman they set up a containment area, while negotiating with the woman to surrender her weapon to them. The woman did not respond to offers, only starring at a distance. The officers observed the woman holding an object, which she kept covered with clothing.

Mental evaluation teams tried to negotiate with her but were unsuccessful, officials said. The standoff took more than two hours.

Special Weapons and Tactics were called in. In process, the woman began to walk toward officers, uncovering the object in her right hand. She pointed what seemed to be a semi-automatic handgun toward the postal building and in the air. Then, the woman took steps toward officers and pointed the object at officers, before she was shot. Witnesses said they heard between 10 to 12 shots fired.

The Long Beach Fire Department treated the woman and took her to the hospital, where she reportedly is in serious but stable condition.

Homicide detectives determined that the object was a beretta replica firearm. The object did not have an orange tip or any other indicators that would have alerted officers it was not capable of firing bullets.

This year LBPD has been involved in 19 officer-involved shootings, including this most recent incident. Five of those shootings were fatal.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent investigation about the incident.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call (562) 570-7244 or visit www.LACrimeStoppers.org.