Police fatally shoot armed man

He was wielding a ‘bayonet-style’ weapon, officers say.

A man armed with a “bayonet-style” weapon was fatally shot by police early Friday in East Hollywood, authorities said.

Officers assigned to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Hollywood Division were driving along Hobart Boulevard, just south of Sunset Boulevard, about 1 a.m. when they encountered the man, Lt. Chris Ramirez said.

Ramirez described the weapon as a “long piece of metal” with a bayonet more than 6 inches long fixed to the end, but he said investigators were still examining the object. Police had initially described the weapon as a long firearm with a knife attached to the end.

It was not immediately clear what happened in the moments before the officers opened fire. The man, described as being in his 30s or 40s, died at the scene. No officers were wounded.

Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said they were working to identify the man. He may have been mentally ill, police said.

Ramirez said investigators found vehicles parked down the street that had punctured tires, and were looking into whether there was a connection to the man’s activities before he encountered police.

The officers did not have body cameras, but their car was equipped with a camera, Ramirez said. Investigators will review the device to see if it captured the shooting. Authorities are also canvassing the area for witnesses or security cameras in the neighborhood that could reveal more about what happened.

The man was the 17th person shot by on-duty LAPD officers this year. Fourteen have died.

As with all shootings by LAPD officers, the encounter will also be reviewed by the district attorney’s office, the Police Commission and its inspector general.