Helicopters, gunfire and explosions — southeast Long Beach was turned into a mock war zone Friday morning for a military training exercise.
At least a dozen troops descended upon the Golden Sails Hotel aboard numerous aircraft, with some repelling from a helicopter as it hovered over the hotel. Quickly after arriving, the sounds of explosions and gunfire filled the area.
Residents were not informed of the training exercise until social media posts by the city around 6:30 p.m. — less than six hours before the operation started around midnight. The exercise lasted for about an hour, according to witnesses…