36-year-old Felipe Guerrero shot after running towards officer with knife last week
By Sam Catanzaro
A man was fatally shot by police on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles last week.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), on July 7 around 5:00 p.m., West Los Angeles officers responded to a call reporting a man armed with a knife in the area of Pico Boulevard and Sawtelle Boulevard. The first police unit at the scene was a uniformed sergeant who was directed to the man by a community member.
“The sergeant exited his police vehicle and began giving directions to the man, later identified as 36-year-old Felipe Guerrero. Guerrero, armed with a knife, continued to walk in the direction of the sergeant. As the sergeant continued to give commands to Guerrero, Guerrero, still armed with the knife, ran toward the sergeant resulting in an OIS. Guerrero was struck by the sergeant’s gunfire and fell to the ground,” the LAPD said in a statement.
Guerrero was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced deceased.
According to the LAPD, the knife Guerrero was armed with was recovered at the scene.
The sergeant was transported to a local hospital for an injury he received from falling during the incident, police say.
The incident remains under investigation by the Chief of Police, Board of Police Commissioners, Office of the Inspector General and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The LAPD did not immediately respond an inquiry asking if body camera footage will be released, if the victim was a homeless person since the shooting happened near an encampment and if the Department will be releasing the identity of the officer.
