Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) from the Los Angeles Field Office were conducting a transportation domain assignment at the Downtown Long Beach Transit Station on April 17, 2026 – supporting security operations for the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – when a violent confrontation erupted feet away and demanded their immediate intervention.
The Assignment and the Attack
At approximately 2:20 p.m., Long Beach Police Department officers responded to a call near the Billie Jean King Public Library at Pacific Avenue and First Street. Upon making contact with the subject — later identified as Arturo Scott Fernandez, 44 years old — he refused to comply with officer commands. As the police officers moved to physically detain him, Fernandez allegedly grabbed one officer and began stabbing him repeatedly in the head and torso with a folding knife.
The two FAMs, already posted at the neighboring transit station as part of their Grand Prix security assignment, witnessed the assault and immediately stepped in. Together, they physically took down Fernandez — described in his booking details as 6 feet tall and 245 pounds — helping secure the weapon and bringing him into custody alongside LBPD officers. The entire incident was captured on surveillance cameras and officers’ body-worn cameras…