Man shot and wounded by sheriff’s deputy at Santa Monica Expo Line station
A man with two knives was shot Tuesday by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy after he lunged and fought with deputies at a new Expo Line station in Santa Monica, authorities said.
The man approached a deputy on the station platform at 12:55 p.m. and suddenly lunged forward with a knife in his hand, Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Katz said. The deputy grabbed the man’s arm to try to gain control of the knife, and a struggle ensued at the Downtown Santa Monica Expo station, near Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue, he said.
“The individual then produced a second knife in the other hand,” Katz said.
The deputy broke free and the man, still armed with a knife, advanced toward a second deputy, the captain said. The second deputy fired a weapon at the man, striking him once in the upper torso, Katz said.
The man, who has not been identified, was taken to an area hospital and was in critical condition, authorities said late Tuesday. Earlier, officials said the man was expected to survive.
The man may have cut one of the deputies’ vests, Katz said.
Investigators will review security camera footage of the incident.
It’s unclear if the man was riding the Expo Line train before the incident, but the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that the man had come from the same direction as a train that had recently arrived.
The downtown Santa Monica station was closed as detectives investigated the shooting, Metro spokesman Paul Gonzales said. The station, which opened in late May, was reopened by 8 p.m., according to Metro.
About 6,500 riders enter the station each weekday, according to ticket data provided by Metro.
Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.
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UPDATES:
11:25 p.m.: This article was updated with sheriff’s officials saying the man was in critical condition. The story was also updated with the train station reopening.
4:55 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the shooting.
2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the downtown Santa Monica station.
1:55 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the downtown Santa Monica station closure.
This article was originally published at 1:25 p.m.
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