Man Killed, Officer Injured in Shootout

HUNTINGTON BEACH â€”  A police officer interrupted a robbery at a beauty salon Friday, triggering a shootout at close range that left the suspect dead and the officer wounded, police said.

The officer’s bulletproof vest absorbed four shots in the Green Tree Salon, Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Janet Perez said. Two more struck his arm.

The robber, whose name had not been released late Friday, was hit multiple times at 15 to 20 feet and died at the scene shortly after 3:30 p.m., she said.

The officer did not know that a robbery was in progress when he walked into the salon in a small shopping center on Hamilton Avenue in response to a 911 call, Perez said. Fifteen minutes earlier, someone in the shop had placed the call and immediately hung up, she said.

The dispatcher had heard voices and guessed that there was a disturbance, Perez said.

A second officer arrived as the wounded officer stumbled into the parking lot bleeding, Perez said. Three other people were inside, but none was injured.

The officer, who was not identified, was treated at UC Irvine Medical Center for an arm fracture. He also had bruises from the bullets that struck his vest, hospital spokeswoman Kim Pine said.

In a second incident Friday, Long Beach police shot and killed a robbery suspect after a chase and a struggle, police said.

Officers spotted the suspect in the 5700 block of North Orange Avenue about 7:45 p.m. and identified him as a “dangerous suspect wanted for robbery� on a no-bail warrant, said Sgt. Steve Zabel.

The suspect fled when officers tried to talk to him, sparking a chase, he said.

The suspect was believed to be armed but it was unknown whether a weapon was recovered, he said.