Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Man Shot After Attacking Officers With Shovel: Police

The shooting on the 5000 block of North Conwell Avenue in Azusa was the second officer-involved shooting in the last week for the city.

Officers shot a man after he allegedly attacked them with with a rake and a shovel in Azusa Thursday.

Jose Juarez, 45, was gunned down after throwing a rake at the lawmen before hitting one of them on the chest with a shovel on the 5000 block of North Conwell Avenue at around 12 a.m., a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

The melee occurred after a short chase, which began after Juarez allegedly ran away after making eye contact with the officers. He ran to a driveway, where he is said to have armed himself with the gardening tools.

The lawmen had used a Taser and a bean bag shotgun in an attempt to subdue Juarez with non-lethal force before shooting him an unknown number of times, officials said. He was taken to a local hospital in a stable condition, and suffered wounds to his arm, hand and leg.

Police radio from the incident featured an officer saying Juarez was armed with a shovel and was not cooperating, and that even after he had been detained at gunpoint he was not cooperating. 

Juarez's attorney Louis Carillo said his client did not antagonize police and suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the altercation. None of the officers involved were injured.

The slain man's brother Gerardo Juarez claimed authorities had stopped Jose Juarez last week for having an open container. During that stoppage he said officers had beaten him he ended up in hospital. An Azusa Police Department spokesman however said he had kicked and punched officers during that confrontation, and had slammed his own face onto the ground.

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A spokesman for the LASD, which is the lead agency in this investigation, said detectives are unaware of any connection between the two incidents.

The shooting came less than a week after Asuza Police Department officers shot a suspect dead when responded to a report of a home break-in.

Anyone with information can contact investigators at (323) 890 5500, or anonymously through "Crime Stoppers" at (800) 222 8477.

NBC4's Irene Moore contributed to this report. 

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