A man carrying a sledgehammer as he attempted to climb a fence at a Long Beach elementary school Tuesday was pronounced dead at the scene after being confronted by several bystanders.
Officers responded to the 6700 block of Orizaba Avenue, between Paramount Boulevard and Obispo Avenue, near the Artesia (91) Freeway, shortly before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday regarding a home invasion, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Police said responding officers arrived at the location and were redirected to McKinley Elementary School near Paramount Boulevard and 68th Street, where a man with a sledgehammer climbed a fence and entered the school's parking lot.
"I saw the guy that jumped over the fence and then he had a sledgehammer and broke a window ran to the door and was banging trying to get in," said Monica Batres, who was waiting to pick up her daughter from school when she witnessed the incident.
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As the suspect attempted to enter the campus, police said he was pulled down and detained by a group of men. Police said responding officers were directed to the suspect, still detained by one of the men, and handcuffed the suspect.
The suspect became unresponsive moments after the arrest and began administering life-saving measures until the arrival of Long Beach Fire Department paramedics, who pronounced the suspect dead at the scene.
The cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, police said. Police said because the suspect died while handcuffed, the situation is being investigated as an in-custody death by homicide detectives.
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There was no use of force during the arrest, police said.
