Man armed with sledgehammer dies at Long Beach school

A man with a sledgehammer died during a confrontation while attempting to enter a Long Beach elementary school on Tuesday.

The suspect was only identified as an adult male by the Long Beach Police Department.

Officers responded to calls of a home invasion robbery on the 6700 block of Orizaba Avenue around 2:27 p.m.

The suspect, who was armed with a sledgehammer, had walked over to the nearby parking lot of McKinley Elementary School.

As the man attempted to climb a fence and enter the school grounds, a group of males pulled him down and detained him while awaiting officers. At some point during the confrontation, he became unresponsive, authorities said.

Police arriving at the scene handcuffed the suspect. They noticed the suspect was unconscious and provided medical aid, but he was later pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

It’s unclear what may have caused the man’s death. A large perimeter was cordoned off near the school parking lot as officials investigated.

“Due to the fact the man was handcuffed, this incident is being investigated as an in-custody death,” police said. “No force was used. Homicide detectives are on scene investigating and the investigation is ongoing.”

The suspect’s identity was not released and his official cause of death will be determined by the L.A. County Coroner’s Office.

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