Nancy Dillon
New York Daily News
A man wielding a “large machete” was killed in a police shooting in Los Angeles Monday following a chaotic scene captured on video.
The suspect allegedly robbed an auto parts store around 11:30 a.m., carjacked a vehicle from a Chick-fil-A drive through lane, crashed the car into police cruisers, took off running and then turned back to chase an officer with his estimated 18-inch blade, an LAPD spokesman said.
He was shot shortly after the LAPD officer he was pursuing stumbled on the street and fell near the busy intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Highland Ave. in Hollywood, police said.
Dramatic bystander video shared with ABC7 shows the suspect lifting his machete above the officer lying on the ground at his feet.
Surrounding officers fired at the suspect just as the large knife was about to come down, ABC7 reported.
The suspect was rushed to a nearby hospital but died, officials said.
A police officer was treated at the scene for minor injuries to his elbow and knee.
A witness who saw the alleged crime spree unfold told KTLA that officers first tried to arrest the man without lethal force.
“As he’s running with the machete, he’s got the cops pretty much chasing him down,” Clinton Gunnels told the station.
“They kind of give him a second to see if he’s gonna surrender, but he highjacked a car,” Gunnels said.
The suspect also tried to get into other cars before charging at the officer, Gunnels said.
“I saw like six cops pointing their guns right at him, and the man just proceeded to move. He didn’t freeze,” Cesar Castro told KTLA.