A man carrying a sharp, pointed metal rod and knife was shot and killed by deputies Thursday after he failed to comply with orders that he put his weapons down and stop attacking cars at a busy intersection in Santa Clarita, authorities said.
The man was partially clothed, only wearing a T-shirt, underwear, and socks, officials said. He was between 25 and 35 years old.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, patrol deputies were flagged down by citizens who reported a man was in the area running in and out of traffic, holding a spear, and waving it at passing cars at 8:20 p.m.
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"Witnesses at the scene said the individual was acting as if he was on some type of drug, " LA County Sheriff's Detective Steve Lankford said.
Deputies located the man near Shangri-La Drive and Soledad Canyon Road. According to officials, he was holding a metal rod and acting strangely.
"Deputies saw that the individual went to a car that was parked at the intersection, tried to break the back window out with the metal object that he had, and at that point the deputies had to use deadly force," Lankford said.
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According to officials, the suspect was unscathed by the shooting and continued his behavior.
He then moved toward the deputies with a knife in hand, according to sheriff's department, at which point the deputies opened fire again.
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"There was rounds fired and a taser to try to stop the individual. The taser had no effect on the individual," Lankford said.
Witnesses tell NBC4 there were as few as five shots and as many as 15 shots fired.
One witness described her first-hand experience with the suspect to NBC4.
"He looked at me with such anger, rage and charged with the pointy end of the stick towards my window to break it," Priscilla Garcia said. "And as he did the sheriffs rushed him and he turned back to rush at them with the spear and they shot and killed him."
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Detectives are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
There was an active police scene at the intersection until at least 5:30 a.m. Friday, nine hours after the incident occurred. The scene has since been cleared and the intersection has reopened.
