Officers Kill Man, 69, Who Dared Them to Shoot Him After Attack

An elderly man who reportedly claimed he had cancer and dared police to shoot him was shot and killed Sunday by Los Angeles police officers after he attacked one of them with a knife and lunged at another.

Officers said the man’s identity would not be made public until family members, who live out of state, were notified. Just before he was shot, police said the man exclaimed “ ‘Go ahead and shoot me. I have cancer anyway.’ ”

Coroner’s officials said they will be unable to confirm the 69-year-old man’s claim of illness until they complete an autopsy.

A Police Department spokesman said the incident occurred about 8:45 a.m. Sunday in front of 646 S. Alvarado St. when Officers Wayne Blandin and George Stan stopped a woman for illegally riding a bicycle on the sidewalk.

While Blandin, 35, an eight-year veteran of the department, was inspecting the bike for a serial number, Stan, 21, who joined the LAPD in January, stood next to the open passenger door of the police car, writing the woman a citation.

“Suddenly Officer Stan was approached from behind by the suspect,” a Police Department statement said. “The suspect without warning cut (Stan) across the back of his neck.”

“Officer Stan shoved the suspect away and both he and officer Blandin drew their weapons and ordered the suspect to drop the knife,” the statement said.

Instead, the man, who coroner’s officers said was a resident of Los Angeles, tried to attack Blandin, “resulting in an officer-involved shooting,” police said. The man was hit three times in the chest and died at the scene.

Stan was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, where doctors stitched his neck and right ear. He was released in good condition.

Police said the man did not know the officers or the woman on the bicycle.

“If we discount what he said, we don’t have any motive for what he did,” said Lt. William Hall of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division. Hall said the man’s actions might “well be a bizarre suicide attempt.”