Man shot dead by police during Hollywood stabbings was mentally ill, sources say
A Long Beach man shot dead by Los Angeles police last week in a Hollywood fast-food restaurant after he stabbed three people was struggling with mental illness, law enforcement sources told The Times.
The man’s identity still has not been released because of issues contacting his next of kin, Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said. Officials have not disclosed a motive for the Jan. 31 attack. But detectives were looking into the man’s mental health, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Los Angeles Police Capt. Andrew Neiman said he couldn’t address the man’s background but added: “If the department is investigating, you can safely assume it is not an act of terrorism,†noting that federal authorities take the lead in terror attacks.
The man stabbed a bicyclist about 2 p.m. along the north side of Sunset Boulevard near Ivar Avenue, said Sgt. Frank Preciado.
The attack occurred on a popular corridor along Sunset, near the ArcLight Cinemas, Amoeba Music and the Los Angeles offices of CNN.
The assailant then ran down Sunset and tried to get into a coffee shop, where employees held the door shut against him, Preciado said.
Next, the man continued eastbound and walked into a Jack in the Box, where he stabbed another man, Preciado said.
As the second victim fled the fast-food restaurant, police officers rushed inside. The man then knifed a third person.
Officers confronted the man and shot him an unknown number of times. Preciado said police also attempted to use a Taser.
The man died at the scene.
Video posted on social media from inside the restaurant showed a person calling for a belt or shoelace to be used as a tourniquet for a victim sitting in a chair with a pool of blood on the floor.
Moans could be heard. As an officer reports “shots fired,†another officer can be seen kneeling over a person face-down on the ground and holding the person’s arm.
L.A. City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, whose district includes Hollywood and East Hollywood, commended LAPD officers for their swift response.
“It saved lives,†O’Farrell said at a news conference Jan. 31.
Investigators were unsure if the assailant knew the three victims, or if they were otherwise connected in some way, police said.
For the inquiry into the shooting, authorities were planning to review surveillance video. Preciado said there was no footage from body cameras to review.
All three victims were taken to hospitals with stab wounds.
Twitter: @lacrimes
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