A knife-wielding suspect got a quick shot of reality—and bean bag—after a tense standoff with LAPD officers in Los Angeles last week. The drama unfolded when 31-year-old Shalon Smith, reportedly got into an altercation with customers at a local pharmacy.
According to the LAPD’s news release, the incident occurred on the evening of May 18 when Smith was allegedly threatening people with a knife on the 1700 block of West 6th Street. Responding officers from the Rampart Division found Smith still armed and, despite numerous verbal warnings to drop the weapon, Smith instead escalated the situation by raising the knife towards them.
The standoff came to a head, or rather the gut, as officers shot Smith with a beanbag round from a non-lethal shotgun after he appeared to lunge at them. Smith was immediately floored by the force of the shot, leading to his swift arrest and subsequent hospitalization for the injuries sustained.
The suspect was eventually released from the hospital and shipped off for booking, according to LAPD's statement. In the wake of the scuffle that ended without injury to bystanders or officers, a 3-inch blade was found and bagged as evidence. The LAPD's Force Investigation Division has taken the wheel in probing the knotty encounter.
