Officer Kills Man Who Pulled Knife on Girl, 17

A police officer shot and killed a man who held a knife to the throat of a teen-age girl, threatening to kill her during what appeared to be a robbery attempt Friday night at a North Hollywood liquor store, Los Angeles police said.

Troy Matthews, 30, was shot after three Los Angeles vice squad officers in plain clothes saw him grab the 17-year-old girl about 7 p.m. outside Rockin’ Horse Liquors, at 6748 Lankershim Blvd., Officer Ted Dukeslaw said. The girl was not hurt.

The officers had been eating dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant when they saw Matthews drinking a beer outside the liquor store, Dukeslaw said.

“He was acting suspicious,” Sgt. Phil Butler said. “They felt he was going to rob the store.”

Investigators learned that moments earlier Matthews had been standing behind the girl as she cashed a check in the liquor store, Butler said. Matthews followed her outside and was standing near the girl’s parked car when the officers saw him, Butler said.

As Sgt. Gary Hallden, 37, and officers Steve Yadon, 32, and Nicholas MacArthur, 32, approached, they saw Matthews try to rob the girl by grabbing her and holding a 7-inch knife to her throat, police said.

At some point, Matthews had threatened to kill the girl, Lt. Dan Cooke said.

The three officers identified themselves as police, and Hallden ordered Matthews to release the girl, he said. As Matthews’ attention was focused on the sergeant, “Officer Yadon, believing the victim to be in great peril, seized the opportunity” and shot Matthews, Dukeslaw said, reading from a prepared news release.

Yadon fired his .38-caliber handgun once, striking Matthews in the chest, Detective Sid Nuckles told United Press International.

Matthews, who lived in North Hollywood, died shortly after 8 p.m. at North Hollywood Medical Center, Dukeslaw said. An autopsy is pending, a Los Angeles County coroner’s spokeswoman said.

An investigation of the shooting is continuing, Dukeslaw said.