A Long Beach man was shot on Tuesday after confronting people trying to steal a catalytic converter from the car where he was sleeping, police said.

The man checked himself into a hospital with non-life threatening injuries to his upper body after the shooting in the 5400 block of East Ocean Boulevard, according to Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Allison Gallagher. Police were called to the hospital around 4:50 a.m.

The shooting victim and one other man were asleep in the vehicle when they were awakened by the sound of sawing coming from underneath, Gallagher said.

The victim got out of the car and saw several men trying to steal the catalytic converter, a component of a vehicle’s emissions control system. When he confronted them, one of the suspects shot him and fled in a dark-colored sedan, Gallagher said.

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