Deputies Shoot Armed Suspect Near Lakewood Shopping Center: LASD

LAKEWOOD, CA — Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies shot and injured a knife-wielding man after he threatened someone near a shopping center in Lakewood on Saturday, according to officials and reports.

The incident took place near the intersection of Woodruff Avenue and South Street at around 9:45 a.m., said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a news release. There are several shopping plazas in the area.

A 911 caller reported seeing the 29-year-old man walking around with a kitchen knife and a switchblade, according to an ABC7 report. When the witness got closer to the man, he reportedly threatened them, then walked across South Street to another parking lot.

Deputies arrived and tried to get the man to drop the knives, deploying their Tasers to no effect, officials said. The man kept advancing on the deputies, who then opened fire and struck him multiple times, per the ABC7 report.

First responders took the man to the hospital in critical, but stable condition.

No deputies were injured in the incident, said the LASD.