Police shoot machete-wielding man outside hospital in Southern California

Police opened fire during a confrontation with a machete-wielding man outside a hospital in Southern California, according to officials and video from the scene. No officers were injured.

The incident happened at about 11 a.m. Wednesday near UCI Health – Los Alamitos, at Cherry Street and Katella Avenue in Orange County. The hospital was placed on lockdown during the incident.

Long Beach police said officers were attempting to apprehend a suspect wanted by their department when the shooting occurred.

Video recorded by a bystander showed a shirtless man carrying a machete as he walked in front of the hospital and yelled at police. A possible gunshot could be heard before the man began running and officers opened fire.

The man appeared to fall behind a police vehicle. Authorities have not released information about his condition or explained why he was wanted.

Los Alamitos police said at 1:05 p.m. that the threat had been neutralized and the area was safe, but the location remained an active crime scene.

BREAKING 🚨🚨#LosAlamitos / #California

New dramatic video of an Officer involved shooting outside of Los Alamitos Medical Center this morning with a man armed with a Machete. https://t.co/iZX0Rh7v7Y pic.twitter.com/eq5bfZyHNK

— OC Scanner 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@OC_Scanner) July 22, 2026