Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Man, Officer Injured During Officer-Involved Shooting in La Verne

Sheriff's detectives were assisting La Verne police in investigating an officer-involved-shooting Saturday that left one man and one officer injured.

The incident began around 3:30 a.m. in the 2400 block of Foothill Boulevard, according to Deputy Joana Warren.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, La Verne police responded to a family disturbance call at the location, said Deputy Charles Moore. Officers were met by a man who had an "unknown, dark object" in his hand.

An officer ordered the man to drop the item but the man refused and continued to move toward the officers, Moore said. One of the officers then fired at least one round at the man. The officer then determined the item in the man's hand was not a weapon. However, the man who apparently was not initially hit kept moving toward the officer.

One of the officers then used his Taser to try and stop the man who appeared to be advancing in a threatening way despite being ordered to stop.

But the Taser proved ineffective, according to Moore. The man then allegedly reached toward his rear waistband and made a threatening statement to the officers, according to Moore.

"Fearing for his safety," one of the officers then fired several rounds at the man, hitting him once in the upper chest, Moore continued. The rounds also hit another officer who was trying to stop the man. That officer was hit once in the lower chest.

Both men were taken to a hospital for treatment of their gunshot wounds. The officer was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The unidentified man's condition was unknown, Moore said.

The investigation remains ongoing, he added.

Anyone with information was asked to call the sheriff's homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. All tips can be made confidentially.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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