Police shot and killed an allegedly armed man after responding to a call about a suspicious person with a gun in Whittier on Friday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
Around 12:10 p.m., Whittier Police Department officers were dispatched to a city dog park on Philadelphia Street near Whittier Boulevard, but the individual had left the area by the time police arrived, according to a sheriff’s news release.
They radioed the suspect description and the direction he was last seen, which led to another officer locating the man on city-maintained bike trail near the 12400 block of Mar Vista Street soon after.
“When the officer contacted the suspect, the suspect pulled a handgun out of his pocket, and an officer involved shooting occurred,” the release stated.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene by L.A. County Fire Department personnel. Authorities have not released his name.
No further information was provided by Whittier police, which tweeted that the department was “working a major incident” and asked people to avoid the area of the Greenway Trail between Mar Vista Street and the Five Points Intersection.
Sheriff’s officials are asking anyone with information about the case to call the department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip by dialing 800-222-8477 or going to the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.