An unhinged madman wielding a tree trimmer equipped with a 12-inch blade was fatally shot by police after charging at officers on a Los Angeles street on Monday.
The LAPD initially responded to a call around 9:55 a.m. about a man armed with a metal pipe at Gillette and Bridge Street in Boyle Heights, police said.
When officers arrived, the suspect was spotted holding a large pole saw with a footlong serrated blade at the end.
“He failed to comply with orders to drop the pole and continued advancing towards officers,” the LAPD said in a statement.
An officer then shot the unidentified suspect, who was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Officers provided medical attention to the suspect before paramedics arrived at the scene, the department said.
The LAPD added that no one else was injured and that the suspect’s trimmer was part of the evidence collected.
The shooting is under investigation.
