Barricaded Hoarder Who Shot Inspector Charged

A 51-year-old man accused of shooting a Long Beach code enforcement officer in the face then holding police at bay for about seven hours was charged today with attempted murder and other counts.

Anthony Glen Gorospe was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Long Beach. Gorospe was charged with one count of attempted murder, three counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, five counts of assault on a peace officer with a semiautomatic firearm, five counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and a single count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

He is accused of shooting the inspector around 8 a.m. Thursday at his home in the 6100 block of John Avenue. Officers evacuated some neighbors from the area as they tried to coax the man into surrendering.

Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani said Monday that the officer was recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

He was taken into custody in his yard around 2:40 p.m. after a police dog was sent in. Long Beach police Chief Jim McDonnell later said the suspect fired more shots during the standoff, but no other injuries were reported. A ballistic tactical vehicle was sent into the residence along with several canisters of tear gas, but the suspect fired more shots and repeatedly yelled out for officers to shoot him, police said. Neighbors said the man had lived in the home for years with his mother, who recently died.

McDonnell said code enforcement workers were trying to serve an inspection warrant at the home, which has been the subject of code violations for years.

--City News Service and Nancy Wride