Patients and employees remained inside as police confronted a machete-wielding man near the medical center’s entrance.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — A confrontation between police and a machete-wielding man forced UCI Health-Los Alamitos into lockdown Wednesday, restricting movement inside the medical center while officers attempted to resolve the standoff outside.
The security response began after police followed the man from Long Beach to the hospital area on Katella Avenue near Cherry Street. Authorities said the man left his vehicle carrying a machete and moved toward the hospital, leading first responders to warn staff to secure the facility.
Emergency radio traffic described the man as shirtless and carrying the weapon while running east toward the hospital. Officers requested that the medical center be notified and locked down as police from several cities converged on the area.
Inside the hospital, patients, visitors and employees were kept away from the confrontation. Witness Ashley Newton said she stood near hallway doors for much of the incident and watched the man moving outside with the machete.
Newton said the man appeared angry as he paced and raised his arms. Bystander video showed him walking along a sidewalk, swinging the weapon and apparently shouting toward officers positioned nearby.
The hospital itself was not involved in the events that led police to the area. The confrontation began in Long Beach shortly after 10 a.m., when officers responded to reports of a possible impaired driver and a road-rage incident involving traffic around a fire vehicle transporting a patient.
Long Beach police began following the vehicle and sought assistance from Cypress and Los Alamitos police. The driver continued into Los Alamitos and stopped near the medical center about an hour after the first call, authorities said.
Police established a perimeter while crisis negotiators attempted to persuade the man to surrender. The effort continued for about 40 minutes before officers moved to less-lethal tactics, according to witness accounts and police statements.
Authorities said beanbag rounds and other less-lethal measures did not stop the man. Police dogs were also deployed. Officers opened fire after the man ran toward police while still holding the machete, Los Alamitos police spokesperson Robert Acosta said.
The man was taken for surgery and was later described as being in stable but critical condition. His identity had not been released. No injuries to patients, hospital employees or police officers were reported in the available accounts.
The lockdown was lifted after officers secured the scene, though authorities did not provide a precise public timeline for the restriction. Investigators from multiple agencies continued examining the shooting and the events that brought the pursuit to the hospital.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.