Shooting suspect shot by police near Long Beach Grand Prix

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A man wounded in an exchange of gunfire with police near the weekend Grand Prix of Long Beach racecourse is suspected of being involved in three other shootings in the area, authorities said.

The final shooting occurred Sunday when a patrol officer responding to a report of gunfire shortly before 5 p.m. spotted a man matching the suspect’s description, the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement.

The preliminary investigation indicated the suspect fired shots at the officer, the statement said. The man was hospitalized with a wound that was not life-threatening.

Police tweeted an alert to Grand Prix fans to avoid the area and advised that one of the event gates was closed. The course for the prestigious Grand Prix loops through the port city’s downtown waterfront streets.

The other shootings occurred earlier Sunday: one shortly after 1 p.m. with no injuries reported, another just before 3 p.m. that wounded a man and another minutes before the gunfire exchange with police with no injuries reported.

Police did not immediately release the name of the suspect.