Los Angeles Police Shoot And Kill Man In Westlake Area

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles police shot and killed an allegedly armed man in the Westlake area Monday early Monday morning.

No officers were injured in the shooting, which occurred just before 4 a.m. near the intersection of Eighth and Bixel streets, said Officer Rosario Cervantes of the Los Angeles Police Department's media relations office. The alleged gunman was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Officers attempted to contact the man near Seventh and Bixel streets, but he ran to Eighth and Bixel streets, where he "produced a handgun" and the officer-involved shooting occurred, Cervantes said.

Cervantes did not say why officers were trying to stop the man. His name was not immediately available.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, and the investigation was continuing, Cervantes said.

The shooting comes a week after Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced plans to investigate a spate of officer-involved shootings. LAPD officers were involved in five shootings in four days a week ago. Two of the shootings proved to be fatal. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said on Tuesday that the shooting investigations were underway using reviews of body-worn cameras, video from nearby residences, witness accounts and physical evidence

Officials noted that the LAPD's policy for use of force stresses de- escalation, the use of alternatives, and taking time to resolve situations.

"The department recognizes that five officer-involved shootings in a one-week period is highly unusual," officials said last week. "Each incident will be investigated and evaluated separately, based on evidence gathered including statements of witnesses and the involved officers as well as body-worn video."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.