In an incident that has prompted an investigation in East Hollywood, police fatally shot a man suspected of burglary during the early hours of Thursday morning. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the 500 block of Alexandria Avenue around 4:00 a.m. following a burglary report, as detailed in KTLA's coverage of the event. Upon arriving at the scene, the suspect was found on the second floor of an apartment complex and reportedly armed himself with a knife.
According to FOXLA's report, less lethal munitions were deployed by the officers but failed to stop the suspect, who is described as a 25-year-old male. The situation quickly escalated when the suspect allegedly began to throw planters at the approaching officers. It appears that efforts to peacefully resolve the incident were unsuccessful as the suspect continued to act aggressively.
The confrontation came to a head when the suspect, still wielding the knife, approached the officers, prompting at least one officer to open fire. The man was struck by the gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene by L.A. City paramedics. A statement obtained by CBSLA confirms that a knife was recovered at the scene and has been booked as evidence by the LAPD.
Details surrounding the identity of the deceased have not been disclosed at this time, and no officers were injured during the altercation. The area of Alexandria Avenue from Rosewood to Clinton Street was expected to be closed for several hours to allow the LAPD to properly investigate the scene, as noted in the police department's post reported by KTLA. The LAPD has yet to release further information regarding the circumstances of the shooting or the identity of the officers involved.
