LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A police response to a report of an armed man in Boyle Heights ended with a deadly officer-involved shooting Monday morning after authorities said the suspect advanced toward officers while carrying a large tree-trimming tool.
The Los Angeles Police Department said officers were initially called to the area of Gillette Street and Bridge Street at approximately 9:55 a.m.
The original call reportedly involved a man armed with a metal pipe. When officers arrived, however, they encountered an unidentified man holding a much larger object.
According to police, the man was carrying a pole saw with a serrated blade approximately 12 inches long. Officers then attempted to control the situation by ordering the man to drop the weapon.
Police Say Suspect Continued Advancing
The situation quickly escalated when, according to the LAPD, the man did not comply with officers’ commands.
“He failed to comply with orders to drop the pole and continued advancing towards officers,” the department said in a statement.
Police then opened fire, striking the unidentified man. Officers immediately began providing medical assistance to the suspect before paramedics arrived, according to the LAPD.
The injured man was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities have not publicly identified the man or released additional information about his background.
The department has not indicated whether anyone else was directly involved in the confrontation.
Officers Provide Medical Aid After Shooting
Following the shooting, officers remained at the scene and attempted to provide emergency medical care.
The LAPD said officers rendered medical attention to the suspect before paramedics arrived. Despite those efforts, the man did not survive his injuries.
The incident left the area under investigation as authorities worked to document what happened during the encounter. Police said no other people were injured in the shooting.
The pole saw involved in the confrontation was also recovered and taken as part of the evidence collected at the scene.
Investigators are expected to examine the weapon, witness accounts and other evidence as they work to establish the sequence of events leading to the shooting.
Pole Saw Becomes Key Piece of Evidence
The tool reportedly carried by the man is now part of the evidence being reviewed by investigators.
According to police, officers believed they were facing a person armed with a dangerous object after arriving at the location. The department said the man continued advancing even after officers ordered him to drop the pole.
The serrated blade attached to the pole saw was approximately one foot long, according to the police description.
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Authorities have not released additional details about exactly how close the man was to officers when the shooting occurred or how many officers fired their weapons. Those details could become important as investigators reconstruct the encounter.
Deadly Police Shooting Under Investigation
As with other officer-involved shootings, the circumstances surrounding Monday’s incident are now subject to an investigation.
Authorities will examine what happened from the moment officers received the initial call through the confrontation and shooting.
The man’s identity, possible motive and circumstances leading to the original call have not been released.
It also remains unclear whether the man actually possessed a metal pipe before officers arrived or why police were initially called to the Boyle Heights location.
The LAPD has not announced any injuries to officers.
For now, officials have confirmed only that an unidentified man died after being shot by officers, no other injuries were reported, and the pole saw was collected as evidence.
Further details are expected as the investigation continues and authorities review the circumstances of the deadly encounter.
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