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BWC: Man charges at LAPD cops swinging 7-foot cluster of wires before fatal OIS

Officers shot the man with less lethal foam projectiles multiple times; they fired shots as the man continued to run at them with the wire “whip”

LOS ANGELES — The LAPD released bystander and body camera video showing a fatal officer-involved shooting of a man who charged at officers while swinging a cluster of metal wires at them.

The Nov. 11 incident began when officers were dispatched to a call of a man hitting vehicles and attempting to hit people with a large chain or wire, according to the release.

“He’s hitting everything,” a caller can be heard saying on 911 call audio.

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“He’s very violent, you have to bring somebody else,” the caller says as the officers arrived to respond. “He’s attacking them.”

Bystander video shows an officer approaching the man, who was holding a cluster of wires around seven feet in length. The man initially dropped the wires when instructed to do so by the officer, according to the release.

Video shows the suspect picking the wires back up, at which point the officer shot him with a foam round from a less lethal launcher. The man then dropped the wires as he reacted to being struck with the round. He momentarily began to follow the officer’s instructions before once again picking up the wires.

He began to swing the wires at the officer, striking the ground near his feet multiple times. He charged forward at the officers, swinging the wires in a circle overhead as the officer continued to deploy less lethal rounds.

As the man continued to charge with the wire, one officer fired shots, striking the man. Officers called for medical assistance and rendered aid, but the man was pronounced dead, according to the release. The wire cluster was collected as evidence.

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Joanna Putman is an Associate Editor and newswriter at Police1, where she has been covering law enforcement topics since August 2023. Based in Orlando, Florida, she holds a journalism degree from the University of Florida and spent two years working in nonprofit local newsrooms, gaining experience in community-focused reporting. Married to a law enforcement officer, she works hard to highlight the challenges and triumphs of those who serve and protect. Have a news tip? Email her at news@lexipol.com