A man armed with two machetes was shot and killed at an Albertsons grocery store in Southern California on Tuesday after charging toward deputies, authorities said.
The male suspect was found standing outside the store’s entrance in Lancaster with two machetes in his backpack when deputies responded to a disturbance call just before 9:30 a.m., the Los Angles County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies tried to speak with the man, but officials said he became agitated and grabbed the machetes in both hands.
The suspect went inside the store and refused deputies’ multiple commands to drop the weapons, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Deputies then followed the man inside and tried to disarm him using less lethal options, which officials said were not successful.
Witnesses told FOX11 Los Angeles that the deputies had tried talking to the man and used Tasers.
The suspect then suddenly charged toward the deputies, forcing three deputies to open fire, the sheriff’s office said.
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The suspect was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. No deputies or bystanders were reported injured.
The man’s name is being withheld until his next-of-kin can be notified, though authorities described him as a 35 to 40-year-old White male.
Business owners in the area told the station that the man had been spotted in the area before.
The sheriff’s office said the suspect had stabbed an employee at a local gas station earlier in the day. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
