Man is fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies in Ladera Heights
A man involved in a dispute at a Ladera Heights gym was shot and killed by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Tuesday night as he swung an electric razor over his head, investigators said.
The man, whose identity was withheld pending notification of his family, was shot at least once in the upper torso after he pulled the device from his backpack and swung it by a cord while advancing toward deputies, according to Lt. Joe Mendoza. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital a short time later, Mendoza said.
Deputies from the sheriff’s Marina del Rey station were called to a 24-Hour Fitness in the 5000 block of West Slauson Avenue twice on Tuesday night, according to a news release issued by the Sheriff’s Department.
Around 8:35 p.m., managers at the gym called deputies because the man was “acting erratic†and “being vulgar toward some women†who were working out, according to Mendoza. He refused to leave at first, but deputies were able to convince him to walk away. Managers at the gym told the man his membership would be suspended, and asked him to return in the morning, Mendoza said.
Two hours later, however, the man returned and resumed berating other customers, according to Mendoza. Deputies were again called to the area and confronted the man in the parking lot, where he began screaming and running around before making an aggressive motion toward a deputy, Mendoza said.
Deputies attempted to subdue the man with a Taser, but were unsuccessful. The man then began to walk away before producing what deputies described as a “large item with some metal on it†from his backpack, Mendoza said.
A second attempt to use a Taser failed, and the man began to swing the object over his head from a cord. A deputy opened fire as the man continued to advance on him, Mendoza said.
The item the man was holding, which was described as a “tethered weapon†in an earlier news release, was actually an electric razor attached to an electrical cord, Mendoza said.
Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.
UPDATES:
10 a.m.: This story was updated with additional information from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
This article was originally published at 6 a.m.
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