Police fatally shoot armed driver in South L.A.
Los Angeles police fatally shot an armed driver Monday evening in South L.A., authorities said.
Shortly after 6 p.m., officers with the elite Metropolitan Division were working on crime suppression in an unmarked police car when they began following the man, who they said was driving erratically near Florence Avenue and Main Street, said LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar.
The driver crashed into two cars and a light pole. Aguilar did not know if the officers had initiated a traffic stop.
Two officers opened fire when they saw the man had a gun, Aguilar said. It’s not clear whether he pointed the gun at officers, or if he exited his car before the shooting.
A firearm was recovered near the vehicle. The man, who was not named, was pronounced dead at the scene. Aguilar said he was in his 20s or 30s.
The occupants of the two other vehicles involved in the crash sustained minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. The officers were not injured in the incident.
LAPD’s Force Investigation Division was interviewing witnesses and officers late Monday.
alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @AleneTchek
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