You're walking down Pine Avenue or maybe just grabbing a coffee in Belmont Shore when you hear that familiar, low-frequency thrum of a helicopter overhead. In Long Beach, we basically treat the "ghetto bird" like a local weather event. But lately, people are asking what’s actually going on with police activity in long beach right now, especially with some of the wild headlines popping up this January.
Honestly, it’s been a busy start to 2026 for the LBPD. Just this morning, January 17, officers were scrambled to the 2300 block of Atlantic Avenue. Around 3:00 a.m., they found a man who had been shot in the lower body near Walnut and PCH. He’s stable, thank God, but the shooter vanished into the night. It's one of those situations where the victim isn't saying much, which happens more often than you'd think in these cases.
The Chaos on Artesia and the "Hit" Shootings
Then you've got the traffic side of things, which has been brutal.
Late last night, January 16, a fatal collision shut down the area around Artesia Boulevard and Indiana Avenue. We’re still waiting on the full report from the Collision Investigation Detail, but someone didn't make it home. It follows a trend of "hit" shootings—police talk for a shooting where someone actually gets struck—that have been peppered throughout the week. On January 14, another guy was shot while literally just riding his bike on Pacific Avenue. He managed to pedal to a business to get help.
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The LBPD is juggling a lot.
They just started Academy Class 100 on January 12 with 98 new recruits. That’s a huge deal for a department that’s been stretched thin. These recruits are walking into a city where, despite a 37% drop in homicides over the last year, the day-to-day calls for service—like the stabbing on Williams Street last Sunday—remain constant.
Why the Scanner Apps Might Be Misleading You
You've probably checked Citizen or a scanner app and seen a dozen red dots over Downtown or North Long Beach. It looks like a war zone on the screen.
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But here’s the thing: much of that "activity" is actually routine. A "priority call" doesn't always mean a shootout. It could be a mental health crisis team—the LBPD has been leaning harder on these lately—or a "street takeover" response like the one we saw on Downey Avenue recently. Those takeovers are a massive headache for the city, often involving hundreds of cars and requiring help from the LA County Sheriff’s Department just to clear the intersection.
The Search for Pita Pita Jr.
It’s not all sirens and crime scenes, though. Right now, there’s a massive push to find 71-year-old Pita Pita Jr. He’s an at-risk missing person, and the department has been putting his face everywhere since January 16. When you see a heavy police presence in a residential area without yellow tape, this is often what’s happening—a systematic search for a neighbor who wandered off.
Breaking Down the Real Crime Trends
People love to say Long Beach is getting more dangerous, but the data is kinda complicated.
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- Homicides are down: Compared to the pandemic peak, we are actually in a much better spot.
- Property crime is the real "thief": Auto thefts and shoplifting are the things actually keeping officers busy in the 1st and 2nd Districts.
- Traffic fatalities: This is the "hidden" danger. The LBPD has been arresting drivers for double-fatal collisions recently, like the one from early January that took two lives on Atlantic.
Long Beach is a big city. It's got big city problems.
If you see a perimeter set up, don't try to be a hero or a citizen journalist. The LBPD is pretty active on their "Blotter" page, which they update daily with preliminary info. If you're in the 2300 block of Atlantic or near Artesia and Indiana today, expect delays. Detectives are still out there marking shell casings and measuring skid marks.
What you should do next:
- Check the official LBPD Blotter: Skip the rumors on Facebook and go straight to longbeach.gov/police.
- Sign up for AlertLongBeach: It’s the city’s official emergency notification system. It’ll tell you if there’s a real reason to lock your doors or avoid a certain block.
- Watch for Pita Pita Jr.: If you’re in North Long Beach or the surrounding areas, keep an eye out for an elderly man who looks lost.
- Secure your car: Since auto burglaries are the most common "activity" right now, don't leave your gym bag or phone charger visible in the driveway.
Stay safe out there. The helicopters aren't always bad news, but it pays to know why they're circling.