A man was shot dead by deputies after allegedly killing a man and wounding his wife with a meat cleaver in El Monte Tuesday.
When the lawmen arrived at the scene on the 10400 block of Enloe Street at around at 12:35 p.m. they saw the attacker hacking at a 59-year-old man with the cleaver, Lt. Victor Lewandoski of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
After some initial gunfire, the 32-year-old man allegedly continued to threaten the deputies before being fatally shot.
"He could see that the suspect was chopping at another male that was down," Lt. Lewandowski said. "The suspect was initially stopped. He then got up and came at the deputies again. Making a statement to the effect of you'll have to kill me."
The suspect's name has yet to be released. No deputies were injured in the shooting.
Neighbors said the female victim, who was a neighbor of the shot man, begged for help as blood poured from her injured arms and shoulders, but people were too afraid to act.
"(The) female victim wanted us to help her, but we didn't to be the next victim," witness Lilia Arreola said. "Oh my God... I was dying of fear watching how he was just killing the man, then police got here."
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A meat cleaver was recovered at the scene, according to the sheriff's department.
Sheriff's officials said deputies initially responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. The suspect had attacked a female neighbor and her husband. The man died at the scene, and the woman was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, according to sheriff's officials.
The suspect allegedly refused orders by deputies to drop the weapon, then made a move toward the deputies, prompting the gunfire. It's unclear how many deputies fired.
