Long Beach Police Fatally Shoot Hostage Taker, Mother Arrested for Murder After Baby Finally Dies

A man who allegedly broke into his in-law's home and took them hostage for about four hours Friday was shot and killed outside the home by Long Beach police officers, Police Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters.

He said the officers saved the lives of the couple, but it was not yet known if the estranged husband had brandished a weapon. The man was not identified at press time, nor was his estranged wife, who had called 9-1-1 to report the hostage situation at about noon. She told police that her husband "was known to carry guns and knives," Long Beach police said in their press release below. You can also find more on the story at http://www.lbreport.com:

7/1/2011

On Friday, July 1, 2011, at approximately 12:15 p.m., Long Beach Police responded to a call to a residence in the 6100 block of Rosebay Street regarding a possible hostage situation that resulted in an officer- involved shooting.

Long Beach Police received a call from a distraught woman who reported that her estranged husband had broken into her parents’ home on Rosebay Street and was holding her parents hostage.  The woman spoke with the suspect over the phone, and he told her that if police were notified or seen, that he would kill her parents. According to the woman, the suspect was known to carry guns and knives, and officers had reason to believe that there was a firearm in the home as well. 

During the incident, there was a confrontation with the suspect, which resulted in an officer-involved shooting.  The suspect, whose identity has not yet been confirmed by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

In addition to the Long Beach Police Department’s ongoing investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is also conducting an independent investigation, as is routine for all officer-involved shootings that occur in Los Angeles County.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives David Rios or Roger Zottneck at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via text or email by visiting the Department’s website, www.longbeach.gov/police.

Baby Boy Injured in March Dies, Mother Charged

On June 7, 2011 a 6-month-old Long Beach infant was pronounced dead after months of
hospitalization and life-support, the victim of an apparent case of child cruelty.

The infant had been hospitalized since Tuesday, March 29, 2011, when Long Beach
Police arrived in the 3000 block of Theresa St., responding along with the Long Beach
Fire Department to reports that a three-month-old had been injured. The child was placed
in the Intensive Care Unit of a nearby hospital, in critical condition.

Early investigations named Long Beach resident Elyse Louis Lopez, the infant’s 23-year-
old mother, responsible for the injuries sustained by the infant.

A few days later on April 1, Long Beach Child Abuse detectives presented the case to
the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. The mother was charged with one
count of 273 (A) PC: child cruelty resulting in possible death or injury. Lopez had a
preliminary hearing, which occurred on May 18 in the Long Beach Superior Court, where
she is currently awaiting trial, under the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department on $1,000,000 bail.

The death of the infant, identified as Nate Lopez-Garcia, has officially been ruled a
homicide by the County Coroner’s Office. The Long Beach Police Department awaits
the official results of the infant’s autopsy before it presents further charges to the Los
Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for approval.