Fullerton police officers trying to break up a fight inside a car between two men shot one of the men to death when he advanced at them with a knife, authorities said Monday.
One officer was en route to an unrelated call at 9:27 p.m. Sunday when he saw two men fighting inside a truck at Lillie and Commonwealth avenues, according to Fullerton police Lt. Jon Radus.
One man was armed with a broomstick and the other had a knife, Radus said.
The officer called for backup and the arriving officers began to detain the man with the broomstick when the knife-wielding man got out of the truck and advanced toward them, he said.
"Despite repeated commands to stop and drop the knife, he continued to advance toward the officers,'' Radus said.
The officers fired less-lethal bean bag rounds at the knife-wielding man but they had little effect, Radus said. He turned toward the officers who were detaining the man with the stick.
"The male with the knife walked toward those officers, again ignoring repeated commands to drop the knife,'' the lieutenant said. "As he neared the officers, an officer-involved shooting occurred. The suspect stopped his advance.''
The officers began life-saving efforts and paramedics took the man to a trauma center where he was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m., Radus said.
His name was not released pending notification of relatives.
A knife was recovered at the scene near the suspect, he said. A photo released by Fullerton police showed a stainless steel butcher knife with a black handle.
The shooting was under investigation by the Orange County District Attorney's Office and Fullerton Police Department, Radus said.
