Police Shoot Machete-Wielding Man Outside Hospital

A man armed with a machete was shot and critically wounded by police outside a Southern California hospital on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, following a pursuit that began with a reported road rage incident involving an ambulance. The confrontation prompted a SWAT response and a temporary lockdown at UCI Health Los Alamitos.

The incident began in Long Beach shortly after 10 a.m. when officers responded to a report of a driver under the influence and a road rage altercation involving a Long Beach Fire Department ambulance that was transporting a patient. Authorities pursued the suspect vehicle, which ended near the hospital at Katella Avenue and Cherry Street in Los Alamitos. The suspect fled on foot, leading officers to establish a perimeter.

Video from the scene showed a shirtless man pacing on a sidewalk outside the medical center, swinging a large machete and yelling at numerous officers who had their weapons drawn. According to Los Alamitos Police Department Support Services Manager Robert Acosta, crisis negotiators attempted to de-escalate the situation but were unsuccessful. Police then deployed less-than-lethal rounds, which authorities said aggravated the suspect and caused...