Long Beach man sentenced to 18 years in connection to a 2015 shootout

A man has been sentenced to 18 years in state prison in connection with his no contest plea to assault charges stemming from a 2015 shootout in which a Long Beach police officer was struck by gunfire from a fellow officer.

Eric Arroyo, 37, of Long Beach, pleaded no contest Wednesday to two counts of assault with a firearm upon a peace officer, according to Greg Risling of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Shortly after the shootout, Long Beach police said Arroyo fired at a uniformed police officer in the courtyard of an apartment complex in the 3000 block of East Artesia Boulevard in North Long Beach as officers responded June 14, 2015, to a call of shots heard in the area.

Three officers returned fire, according to police.

The injured officer and Arroyo suffered what were described by police as “non-life-threatening” wounds in the shootout.

Police announced two days later that the bullet recovered from the injured officer came from another officer who was returning fire at Arroyo, and that an examination of ballistic evidence showed that a round collected from the wall directly behind the injured officer came from the suspect’s gun.

Arroyo has remained behind bars since his arrest, jail records show.

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