A suspect shot by South Gate Police Department officers who said they believed he was armed was hospitalized in stable condition Thursday evening.
The shooting was reported about 8:10 p.m. Wednesday in the 8000 block of South Gate Avenue, near the intersection of Santa Ana and State streets, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which was assisting South Gate police with the investigation.
Two South Gate officers responded to the location to find a man who was walking up and down the street and yelling, the sheriff’s department said.
The man walked away from one officer when they attempted to make contact and ran into a driveway when a second officer approached him from another direction, according to deputies.
After entering the driveway, the man walked toward the officers, then raised his hand and pointed his fingers at them, the sheriff’s department said.
“The officers believed he had a handgun and gave him verbal commands,” the sheriff’s department said.
The man then reached behind his back, and at least one officer fired at him. The man was struck and taken to a hospital where he was listed in stable condition Thursday, according to the sheriff’s department.