Police: Man killed in gunfire with Costa Mesa officers

Costa Mesa police shot and killed a man in an exchange of gunfire while officers were trying to arrest him Tuesday night, according to authorities.

Police said two officers arrived at an apartment in the 3000 block of Jeffrey Drive about 10:40 p.m. to serve arrest warrants. When officers tried to arrest the man, he became “violently combative and brandished a handgun,” police said in a statement.

“A physical altercation resulted where shots were fired by both the individual and an officer,” the statement said. Police did not say how many shots were fired.

Paramedics declared the man dead in the frontyard of the apartment about 10:45 p.m., according to the Orange County coroner’s office. He died from a gunshot wound, according to police.

Officials did not identify the man, other than to say he was 48 years old.

Both officers at the scene suffered minor injuries, police said. The nature of the injuries was not disclosed.

It’s unclear what the arrest warrants were for, but a police source who asked not to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the shooting said the warrants were from out of state, including at least two from Texas.

Jared Thomas, who identified himself as a neighbor, said he heard the gunfire and described two shots with a pause between them.

“The second shot occurred roughly a minute after the first shot,” he said. “I also heard a lady screaming violently as soon as the second shot happened, but not after the first shot.”

The Orange County district attorney’s office will investigate the death, which is standard practice for police shootings in Orange County.

Police said they would not release more details because of the continuing investigation.

They ask that anyone with information about the case contact Det. Bang Le at (714) 754-5361.

The last time Costa Mesa police had fired on someone was in 2012, when an officer in a patrol car shot at Vincent Joseph Leon. Police said the man had tried to ram a stolen truck into the officer’s cruiser.

The district attorney’s office said the officer was justified in shooting.

Leon, who wasn’t hit by the gunfire, was later arrested. He is facing three felony charges, including assault with a weapon on a peace officer.