the Region - News from July 31, 1986

An off-duty Los Angeles policeman shot and killed a man who threatened him with a hatchet. The shooting occurred near the officer’s rural San Dimas home after he confronted several juveniles and an adult who appeared to be drunk, said Lt. Robert Bauder of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide unit. The policeman has been building a house in an area that has been vandalized, and deputies had been called to the scene 20 minutes before the shooting because residents complained about a disturbance. The officer was identified as Donald R. Wells, 36, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Hollywood Division. The victim’s name had not been released.