KTLA

Assault suspect believed to be armed with knife fatally shot by police in Vermont Square neighborhood

A man was shot and killed by officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call in the Vermont Square neighborhood of South Los Angeles Wednesday night.

Police received a call about 10:30 p.m. indicating a man armed with a knife had already assaulted one person and was in the process of assaulting his girlfriend, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Aguilar said.

When officers responded to West 41st Place and Vermont Avenue they found the suspect struggling with a female inside a vehicle. That’s when at least one of the officers opened fire, striking the man, Aguilar said.  

The unidentified suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female, who was later confirmed to be the man’s girlfriend, was treated and released by medical personnel.

Police were waiting on a search warrant to look inside the vehicle for the knife described by the caller. At this point, it was still unclear if the suspect actually had a knife, Aguilar said.

No details on the earlier assault report were given.