‘He doesn’t have the knife!’: Body-worn video puts LAPD shooting in new context
3 years, 7 months ago

‘He doesn’t have the knife!’: Body-worn video puts LAPD shooting in new context

LA Times  

Samuel Soto, 53, who had previously dropped a knife, holds a cellphone in his hand just before he is shot by LAPD officers in Pico-Union. Body-worn camera video from the July 26 incident, released Wednesday, shows that 53-year-old Samuel Soto was armed with a knife when he was shot by the first two officers who arrived on scene. The day after the shooting, LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the civilian Police Commission that officers had responded to a call about a man with a knife at the intersection of Union Avenue and Pico Boulevard about 10:50 p.m. and found Soto “holding a knife.” “The officers gave Mr. Soto commands. He said he and other LAPD officials try to give basic descriptions of police shootings after they occur in order to “demonstrate transparency,” but recognize that information is incomplete and “will often change as additional information and evidence is collected.” Moore said the department released the video in Soto’s shooting before the normal 45-day mark in order “to expand on the details initially provided” and “demonstrate that greater transparency.” The video released Wednesday contains footage from multiple officers’ body-worn cameras. The first two officers who responded to the call rolled up to the location and immediately jumped out of their vehicle, with one saying, “Hey, let me see your hands, bro!” The footage then shows the man charging forward toward the second officer with a knife and being shot multiple times.

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History of this topic

LAPD cops shot 21 bystanders in 10 years. How does it keep happening?
3 weeks, 1 day ago

LAPD cops shot 21 bystanders in 10 years. How does it keep happening?

LA Times  

Israel Hernandez was shot in 2017 when a bullet fired by an LAPD officer pierced the wall of his Wilmington apartment and sliced through his leg. LAPD spokesperson Jennifer Forkish responded to a detailed list of questions from The Times with a statement that said no “officer goes to work intending to use force — much less deadly force — …

‘Bringing a gun to a knife fight’: LAPD continues to shoot people holding ‘edged weapon’ during mental crisis, analysis shows
8 months, 3 weeks ago

‘Bringing a gun to a knife fight’: LAPD continues to shoot people holding ‘edged weapon’ during mental crisis, analysis shows

LA Times  

LAPD officers investigate the site where police killed a man who was holding a knife and assaulting his girlfriend in the Vermont Square area. Los Angeles police officials have been trying for years to curb officer shootings of people in crisis who are holding a knife, machete or other “edged weapon.” Despite rolling out policies to prevent gunfire in such …

Off-duty LAPD officer shoots, kills unarmed man after altercation
10 months ago

Off-duty LAPD officer shoots, kills unarmed man after altercation

LA Times  

The front entrance to LAPD headquarters on First Street in downtown Los Angeles. An off-duty Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a man in San Bernardino County after what police there described as an altercation that left one dead and the cop hospitalized. Police responded to a shooting near Euclid Avenue and 6th Street on Thursday evening in Ontario …

Two shootings by LAPD officers are under investigation
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Two shootings by LAPD officers are under investigation

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Police Department was investigating two separate shootings by officers Thursday that left one officer and two men injured. He said LAPD officers and U.S. marshals were serving an arrest warrant for a man suspected of child abuse when at some point he opened fire at them, grazing an officer and prompting the others to fire back, striking …

No charges for LAPD officers who fatally shot man in Pico-Union in 2021
1 year, 1 month ago

No charges for LAPD officers who fatally shot man in Pico-Union in 2021

LA Times  

The narrative of the 2021 shooting initially provided by Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore simplified a complicated situation. While Moore said a preliminary investigation showed that Soto was armed with a knife when shot and taken into custody, body-camera footage later released by the department showed that he dropped the knife after he was first shot by police …

LAPD chief says he has ‘concerns’ about police shooting of man who held plastic fork
1 year, 1 month ago

LAPD chief says he has ‘concerns’ about police shooting of man who held plastic fork

LA Times  

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday he had “concerns” after reviewing body-worn camera footage that showed a city police officer shooting and killing a man who charged at him while holding a plastic fork near Skid Row over the weekend. Previously, they could be deployed when someone was “unsafe to approach,” meaning officers could intervene sooner in …

Man shot by LAPD officers who mistook cellphone for gun wins $2.35 million at trial
1 year, 6 months ago

Man shot by LAPD officers who mistook cellphone for gun wins $2.35 million at trial

LA Times  

Dexter White was on his way to a corner store when he was confronted by LAPD officers and shot three times in 2018, leaving him critically wounded. Dexter White’s chest still tightens when he sees the photo on Instagram of his crumpled body, moments after a group of Los Angeles police officers shot him after mistaking his cellphone for a …

LAPD officer faulted in 2022 shooting of unarmed man in Leimert Park
1 year, 9 months ago

LAPD officer faulted in 2022 shooting of unarmed man in Leimert Park

LA Times  

Jermaine Petit was taken to a hospital with serious injuries after being shot by LAPD officers July 18, 2022, in Leimert Park. California Video shows LAPD shooting man holding an auto part in Leimert Park The police shooting of Jermaine Petit in July sparked an outcry and questions about why officers opened fire on someone who officials later admitted was …

L.A. Police Commission clears officers in two shootings of people in mental crisis
2 years, 7 months ago

L.A. Police Commission clears officers in two shootings of people in mental crisis

LA Times  

Los Angeles police commissioners this week ruled that officers were justified in shooting two people suffering mental health crisises, though the group echoed LAPD Chief Michel Moore’s concerns over tactics officers used in one of the encounters. The civilian-led panel unanimously supported Moore’s conclusions that the officers were in line with the Los Angeles Police Department’s policies on deadly force …

A man with a knife was shot by police. Then an LAPD helicopter made things worse
2 years, 8 months ago

A man with a knife was shot by police. Then an LAPD helicopter made things worse

LA Times  

The police shooting began like so many others. On video from body cameras that was released after the shooting, one of the officers is heard saying, “Hey, let me see your hands, bro!” Soto instead charged toward Martinez, who fired two rounds at him, missing both times, the report said. In a footnote, the chief said the head of the …

LAPD killed a man it says aimed gun at officer. Body camera video tells different story
2 years, 8 months ago

LAPD killed a man it says aimed gun at officer. Body camera video tells different story

LA Times  

Los Angeles police say that 23-year-old Marvin Cua pointed a gun at officers before he was fatally shot in Koreatown last month, but newly-released body camera footage doesn’t capture him doing so and shows an officer shooting Cua as he flees. And in her statement on the video, Muniz said that because of where they are mounted on officers’ chests, …

LAPD sergeant broke policy by kneeling on neck of NBA player Jaxson Hayes during arrest
2 years, 8 months ago

LAPD sergeant broke policy by kneeling on neck of NBA player Jaxson Hayes during arrest

LA Times  

Video released last year of Jaxson Hayes’ arrest shows the NBA player arguing with LAPD officers about entering a Woodland Hills home without a warrant, then pushing one against a wall before police take him to the ground. An LAPD sergeant violated department policy by kneeling on the neck of NBA player Jaxson Hayes while arresting him in response to …

Few details in three recent fatal LAPD shootings
2 years, 8 months ago

Few details in three recent fatal LAPD shootings

LA Times  

On Tuesday morning, Lara Anne Piszczek was standing with a friend outside a doughnut shop off West Anaheim Street in Wilmington when a man with a gun approached. A short time later and a few blocks from where Piszczek stood, a man was shot and killed by Los Angeles police — the second fatal shooting by LAPD officers in four …

Police shoot, kill person armed with knife in Sawtelle, LAPD says
2 years, 8 months ago

Police shoot, kill person armed with knife in Sawtelle, LAPD says

LA Times  

Los Angeles police shot and killed a person Thursday in Sawtelle, marking the third fatal police shooting in the last week. Police responded around 5 p.m. to the area near Pico and Sawtelle boulevards, near the 405 Freeway, regarding reports of a person with a knife, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on Twitter. California Few details …

Panel rules LAPD officers justified in fatal shooting of man on busy Hollywood Boulevard
2 years, 9 months ago

Panel rules LAPD officers justified in fatal shooting of man on busy Hollywood Boulevard

LA Times  

An officer’s body-camera video shows a man pointing a butane lighter with a pistol-like grip at LAPD officers before they fatally shot him on Hollywood Boulevard. The Los Angeles Police Commission ruled Tuesday that two LAPD officers were justified in fatally shooting a 48-year-old man holding a butane lighter and a small knife on a busy stretch of Hollywood Boulevard …

Man fatally shot by officers after downtown standoff, LAPD says
2 years, 11 months ago

Man fatally shot by officers after downtown standoff, LAPD says

LA Times  

A man was fatally shot by Los Angeles police officers Tuesday after allegedly pulling a gun on paramedics and then firing a round at officers from inside an apartment, police said. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel knocked on the door of the apartment after responding to a report of a “medical emergency” in the 100 block of West 5th Street …

LAPD officers are firing bullets and ‘less lethal’ rounds at same time, with deadly results
2 years, 11 months ago

LAPD officers are firing bullets and ‘less lethal’ rounds at same time, with deadly results

LA Times  

Margarito Lopez Jr. had been threatening suicide with a butcher knife to his neck for nearly 10 minutes when he suddenly stood and took a few steps toward the line of Los Angeles police officers in front of him. “They didn’t even try to see if something else would work.” LAPD body camera footage shows Margarito Lopez Jr. standing with …

Help or handcuff? LAPD officers often delay providing medical aid after shooting people
2 years, 11 months ago

Help or handcuff? LAPD officers often delay providing medical aid after shooting people

LA Times  

After Olivio was shot, it took more than six minutes for officers to approach him. By the time a group of Los Angeles police officers cautiously approached Rosendo Olivio Jr. with guns drawn, more than six minutes had passed since they’d shot him. I don’t know if at that point somebody did see where he was shot or try to …

LAPD tactics under scrutiny after officer fatally shoots girl in Burlington dressing room
3 years, 3 months ago

LAPD tactics under scrutiny after officer fatally shoots girl in Burlington dressing room

LA Times  

LAPD officials investigate the scene where officers fatally shot an assault suspect and a 14-year-old bystander at a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood on Thursday. “They use deadly force pretty much whenever they feel like it.” Much about the fatal LAPD shooting of 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta — who was at the Burlington store with her mother trying on dresses …

Los Angeles police shoot man armed with a knife after he allegedly stabbed a woman in Hollywood
3 years, 6 months ago

Los Angeles police shoot man armed with a knife after he allegedly stabbed a woman in Hollywood

LA Times  

The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. A man with a knife was shot and wounded by Los Angeles police Saturday after a 19-year-old woman was stabbed, authorities said. A man armed with a knife was shot and wounded by Los Angeles police Saturday after allegedly stabbing a 19-year-old woman in her abdomen, authorities said. The shooting …

LAPD shootings up compared with recent years, including two occurring Monday
3 years, 8 months ago

LAPD shootings up compared with recent years, including two occurring Monday

LA Times  

The scene of a fatal shooting by an officer Sunday in the Sawtelle area near West Los Angeles that left one man dead. Two separate Los Angeles police shootings Monday of men who officers alleged were armed with knives pushed the total number of LAPD shootings this year to 23, according to LAPD data. Though above levels in recent years, …

Police shoot and kill man they say was holding relative at knifepoint in West L.A.
3 years, 8 months ago

Police shoot and kill man they say was holding relative at knifepoint in West L.A.

LA Times  

An investigation is underway following a fatal police shooting Monday morning in the Mar Vista area. Los Angeles police fatally shot a man Monday morning in West Los Angeles after finding him holding an elderly relative at knifepoint, department officials said. A neighbor called 911 shortly before 6 a.m. and reported “someone screaming in distress from a neighboring apartment” in …

LAPD shootings of unstable people wielding sharp objects a deadly problem
3 years, 9 months ago

LAPD shootings of unstable people wielding sharp objects a deadly problem

LA Times  

On May 27, 2020, an LAPD officer fatally shot Rommel Mendoza, 50, who was 77 feet away and waving a sword. His LAPD training taught him that such distances could be closed by suspects with “edged weapons” such as knives or swords in a matter of seconds, putting officers in imminent danger, Harty said. A LAPD training bulletin from 2017 …

LAPD shootings remained near historic low in 2020, but are up in 2021
3 years, 10 months ago

LAPD shootings remained near historic low in 2020, but are up in 2021

LA Times  

LAPD tape blocks off the scene in January where officers shot and wounded a man who they alleged was armed and had threatened his wife. LAPD officers opened fire 27 times last year, killing seven people, according to the department’s annual use of force report, published Tuesday. In the 27 shootings in 2020, officers fired 156 rounds, which was a …

LAPD reports shooting of knife-wielding man in San Fernando Valley
3 years, 11 months ago

LAPD reports shooting of knife-wielding man in San Fernando Valley

LA Times  

Police tape blocks the public from accessing a Rite Aid on Whitsett Avenue in the San Fernando Valley, near where Los Angeles police officers shot a man who they say was armed with a knife. Los Angeles police shot a man who they said was wielding a knife during a confrontation Friday morning in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood. Officers …

Video shows man with a fake gun outside LAPD Olympic station before officer shoots him
3 years, 11 months ago

Video shows man with a fake gun outside LAPD Olympic station before officer shoots him

LA Times  

Video released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows officers screaming at a man to drop a gun in front of the department’s Olympic station one afternoon last month before he begins to lift it in their direction and is shot by an officer with a shotgun. At one point in the video, which includes graphic images and profanity, the …

Videos of LAPD shootings show SWAT officer getting shot, suspect attacking man with knife
4 years ago

Videos of LAPD shootings show SWAT officer getting shot, suspect attacking man with knife

LA Times  

Body camera videos from two recent Los Angeles police shootings show officers pleading with armed suspects to put down their weapons before both men decide to use them instead — with one shooting a SWAT officer in the neck and the other slashing at a victim with a knife. “I’ve never seen him like this.” The officers who responded cleared …

LAPD shooting outside Olympic station adds to ‘striking’ cluster of police shootings since last week
4 years ago

LAPD shooting outside Olympic station adds to ‘striking’ cluster of police shootings since last week

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Police Department is reviewing an unusual cluster of six separate police shootings since last week, the latest of which occurred just outside the department’s Olympic police station Tuesday afternoon. During a Police Commission meeting held before the Olympic shooting Tuesday, LAPD Chief Michel Moore called last week’s cluster of five shootings “striking” but said the incidents were …

LAPD officer known for prize-winning shooting skills now at the center of a deadly shooting
4 years, 8 months ago

LAPD officer known for prize-winning shooting skills now at the center of a deadly shooting

Daily Mail  

A 23-year-old Los Angeles police officer known as 'top shot' is being sued by the heartbroken 14-year-old daughter of a man she killed, after he appeared to lunge at the cop with a box cutter. Toni McBride, an officer in LAPD's Newton Division who has appeared in magazines and practices at gun ranges alongside Hollywood stars including Keanu Reeves, is …

Police shoot man in downtown San Diego
4 years, 9 months ago

Police shoot man in downtown San Diego

LA Times  

San Diego Police officers on Saturday evening shot and wounded a man who they say was a robbery suspect who pointed a gun at them. Two officers driving downtown Saturday recognized the man from a flyer depicting the suspect and approached him, said San Diego police Capt. Freedman did not release the man’s name, nor details of the robbery police …

Off-duty police officers’ camping trip erupts in gunfire; one injured, another in custody
4 years, 11 months ago

Off-duty police officers’ camping trip erupts in gunfire; one injured, another in custody

LA Times  

A Los Angeles police officer has been booked on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly shooting another off-duty officer early Sunday morning while camping in Apple Valley in San Bernardino County, authorities said. Officer Ismael Tamayo, a 13-year veteran of the LAPD, was booked by the county Sheriff’s Department in connection with the 1 a.m. shooting at the Stoddard Wells …

LAPD officers fatally shoot knife-wielding man at Baldwin Hills mall
6 years, 11 months ago

LAPD officers fatally shoot knife-wielding man at Baldwin Hills mall

Daily Mail  

Police in Los Angeles shot and killed a man armed with a knife inside a local shopping mall. Police officers in Los Angeles on Tuesday shot and killed a man wielding a knife and acting erratically inside a mall Cellphone video recorded at the scene by a witness shows LAPD officers handling the body of the unnamed man after shooting …

No charges for LAPD officer who fatally shot 14-year-old in Boyle Heights, prosecutors say
7 years ago

No charges for LAPD officer who fatally shot 14-year-old in Boyle Heights, prosecutors say

LA Times  

At a news conference last year, Sol Marquez, left, with Centro Community Service Organization, holds a sign in support of 14-year-old Jesse Romero, who was fatally shot by Los Angeles police in 2016. A Los Angeles police officer won’t be criminally charged in the controversial shooting of Jesse Romero, a 14-year-old boy whose 2016 death inspired protests in his Boyle …

No charges for LAPD officer who shot woman in South L.A., a killing that led to protests outside City Hall
7 years, 9 months ago

No charges for LAPD officer who shot woman in South L.A., a killing that led to protests outside City Hall

LA Times  

A Los Angeles police officer will not be charged for the fatal shooting of an African American woman in a South L.A. alley, a controversial killing that caused protesters to camp outside City Hall for weeks decrying the police. Jones, the memo said, was an “armed, dangerous fleeing felon” and Ramirez used reasonable force to “apprehend” her. “It’s a farce.” …

Police commissioners concerned by ‘significant increase’ in shootings by LAPD officers
8 years ago

Police commissioners concerned by ‘significant increase’ in shootings by LAPD officers

LA Times  

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck addresses reporters after the 2016 killing of Carnell Snell Jr., who was shot by officers in South L.A. Beck said Tuesday there had been a “significant increase” in shootings by LAPD officers this year: 12, up from seven at this point last year. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday that his department has seen …

Police Commission faults LAPD officers in two deadly shootings
8 years, 6 months ago

Police Commission faults LAPD officers in two deadly shootings

LA Times  

Investigators examine the scene near downtown L.A. where two Los Angeles police officers shot and killed Norma Guzman, a 37-year-old woman who police say was carrying a knife. The Los Angeles Police Commission concluded Tuesday that LAPD officers violated deadly-force rules in two controversial shootings last year, breaking ranks with Police Chief Charlie Beck. Beck had concluded that both officers …

Officer fatally shoots a person in South L.A. after an emotional Police Commission meeting
8 years, 7 months ago

Officer fatally shoots a person in South L.A. after an emotional Police Commission meeting

LA Times  

A man walks past signs, flowers, a photo and candles left near the area in Boyle Heights where Jesse Romero, 14, was shot by Los Angeles police last week. A Los Angeles police officer shot and killed someone Tuesday afternoon during a traffic stop in South L.A., hours after activists and others made an emotional appeal for police officials to …

Police fatally shoot knife-wielding man in Bell
8 years, 8 months ago

Police fatally shoot knife-wielding man in Bell

LA Times  

A knife-wielding man provoked Bell police before officers fatally shot him near a convenience store Thursday morning, authorities said. Bell police officers and and one Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy responded to calls of a domestic dispute at a convenience store in the 7100 block of Atlantic Avenue about 8 a.m. Authorities said a preliminary investigation indicated domestic violence and …

One of the LAPD’s preferred weapons to help officers avoid shootings often doesn’t work
9 years ago

One of the LAPD’s preferred weapons to help officers avoid shootings often doesn’t work

LA Times  

As two Los Angeles police officers wrestled with a vandalism suspect, one grabbed her Taser and pressed the stun gun against the 38-year-old man’s body. Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle defended the stun gun, saying police are trained to understand that they may need to use a Taser multiple times “because the first shot may not work.” Tuttle said it was …

Off-duty LAPD officer shoots two burglars who broke into his San Gabriel home, officials say
9 years ago

Off-duty LAPD officer shoots two burglars who broke into his San Gabriel home, officials say

LA Times  

An off-duty LAPD lieutenant shot two suspected burglars who broke into his San Gabriel home Tuesday morning, leaving one in critical condition, police said. The LAPD lieutenant had found the two men inside the residence in the 600 block of Los Olivos Drive about 10:15 a.m. and confronted them, said Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s homicide …

Shootings by LAPD double in ‘alarming’ trend, police commission president says
9 years, 4 months ago

Shootings by LAPD double in ‘alarming’ trend, police commission president says

LA Times  

In a year dominated by heated debate over police use of force, the Los Angeles Police Department has seen a significant uptick in the number of times officers have fired their guns. The LAPD, like police departments across our country, is facing a crisis of confidence with minority communities, particularly African Americans,” said Johnson, the commission’s only black member. “My …

Man shot by LAPD near USC charged with assaulting the officers
9 years, 5 months ago

Man shot by LAPD near USC charged with assaulting the officers

LA Times  

A man shot and critically wounded by Los Angeles police near USC this week was charged with assaulting the officers during a struggle in which he is accused of cutting them with a knife, prosecutors said Thursday. Oscar Ovidio Diaz, 30, was charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer and an additional count of stealing a vehicle, the …

Second LAPD shooting in less than 24 hours leaves man critically wounded
9 years, 6 months ago

Second LAPD shooting in less than 24 hours leaves man critically wounded

LA Times  

Los Angeles police shot and critically wounded a 40-year-old man Wednesday in Atwater Village, marking the second shooting by the LAPD in less than 24 hours. The shooting happened outside a home in the 4100 block of Willimet Street, where gunshots had been reported about 12:20 p.m., Los Angeles Police Department Lt. John Jenal said. An officer in an LAPD …

LAPD officers wound two men in separate weekend shootings
9 years, 7 months ago

LAPD officers wound two men in separate weekend shootings

LA Times  

Los Angeles police officers shot and wounded two men -- one in South L.A., the other in Boyle Heights -- in a roughly 24-hour span this weekend. Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >> Preciado said detectives were reviewing patrol car footage along with cellphone video to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting. …

Knife-wielding man shot, wounded by police in South L.A.
9 years, 7 months ago

Knife-wielding man shot, wounded by police in South L.A.

LA Times  

A man wielding a knife in South L.A. was shot and wounded by a Los Angeles police officer early Saturday morning. When officers arrived, they were confronted by a man armed with a knife, said Lt. Scot Williams of the LAPD’s Southwest Division. “The officer gave the suspect several commands to drop the knife,” Williams said. The suspect was struck …

LAPD report: Woman fatally shot last week had moved toward officer with knife
9 years, 7 months ago

LAPD report: Woman fatally shot last week had moved toward officer with knife

LA Times  

Authorities at the scene where a woman was shot during a confrontation with police in an alley in Baldwin Hills. A woman who was fatally shot by Los Angeles police in a Baldwin Hills alley a week ago was killed after she moved toward an officer while holding a knife, according to an internal LAPD report reviewed by The Times. …

LAPD fatally shoots man; family calls it unjustified
10 years, 7 months ago

LAPD fatally shoots man; family calls it unjustified

LA Times  

An unidentified person shot Monday night by a Los Angeles police officer in the Florence neighborhood has died, authorities said Tuesday. An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton Division conducted “an investigative stop” in the 200 block of West 65th Street about 8:20 p.m. Monday, according to a LAPD news release. He didn’t deserve to die the way …

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