Police shoot, kill armed man at crowded California beach after U.S. Open of Surfing

Police shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them on a crowded California beach where people had gathered for the U.S. Open of Surfing just moments earlier, authorities said Sunday.

A graphic video circulating on social media shows the terrifying encounter unfold in front of dozens of people at Huntington Beach Saturday afternoon. The footage begins with the suspect holding an object under a white shirt and pointing it at a group of officers who could be heard repeatedly yelling, “Stop! Stop!”

When the man refused to stop, police fired what sounded like at least two gunshots, causing him to fall to the ground, the shocking footage shows. The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Ronnie Andrew Garcia, rolled on the sand before reaching for the object and pointing at the officers again, according to the video.

Cops then shot him multiple times as horrified bystanders could be heard screaming. Police said they performed life-saving measures, but Garcia was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later.

The object he was hiding under a shirt turned out to be a gun, the Huntington Beach Police Department said in a news release. They also described the suspect as “non-compliant to the multiple commands given.”

The fatal encounter happened after cops were called to the scene for a report of a “suspicious man with a gun” around 3 p.m., authorities said. The incident happened after the nearby U.S. Open of Surfing had just ended.

Garcia’s city of residence and possible motive for the confrontation are still unknown.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case.