‘Suicidal’ transient arrested

A Huntington Beach man was expected to be handed over to sheriff’s custody Thursday, days after police say he tried to commit suicide by cop when he fired at them with a replica handgun.

Officers heard 40-year-old Sean Lake yell, “Shoot me!” Tuesday afternoon as he shot at them with a wrist-rocket slingshot, damaging one of their windshields, and with Airsoft BBs from his replica handgun while parked in the corner of the Emulex corporation parking lot, 3333 Susan St., Costa Mesa, police said.

“You point that at a cop, that’s inviting lethal force by us,” Lt. Clay Epperson said. “The officers used tremendous restraint, manifested good training and saved the guy from suicide by cop.”

Police said they were called at about 3 p.m. Tuesday when Lake began shooting metal ball bearings at one of the business’ security guards with his wrist-rocket slingshot.

Two windshields in the parking lot were shattered but the security guard was not hit, Epperson said.

“It’s like a .22-caliber ball bearing. If it hits you with any kind of velocity, it can be injurious,” Epperson said.

With Lake, who police say is a transient, parked in a corner of the parking lot, police opted to fire foam ammunition to subdue him.

One of the shots injured his hand, police said.

“While he was willing to die, he wasn’t willing to accept the less-lethal rounds,” Epperson said. “We think he had health issues that may have impacted his decision-making out there.”

Lake was taken for a mental evaluation at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana and will be booked into Orange County Jail within the next day, police said.

Officers found the slingshot, the replica handgun and a replica submachine gun among other items in Lake’s car.

Lake was booked on suspicion of more than half a dozen charges, including assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer, vandalism and possession of a controlled substance.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.