Officer Kills Knife-Wielding Man
An Azusa police officer shot and killed a man he mistakenly believed was wanted on a warrant after the man punched him and threatened him with a knife early Saturday, authorities said.
The shooting took place about 2 a.m. after the officer was sent to 1st Street and Vernon Avenue in response to a report that shots had been fired in the area, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Benita Hinojos.
As the officer searched the area, he spotted a man he thought he had arrested several weeks before and who he also believed was wanted on another arrest warrant, Hinojos said.
When the officer ordered the man, Frank Bergmann, 36, to walk over to his patrol car, Bergmann ran at the officer, struck him in the face and began waving a five-inch knife, Hinojos said.
The officer fended off several lunges with his baton. When Bergmann continued to disobey orders to drop the knife, the officer drew his gun and fired several times, striking Bergmann in the upper body and killing him, Hinojos said.
The officer suffered a bruised face in the confrontation. Police discovered that there were no warrants for Bergmann, Hinojos said, and did not know why he attacked the officer.
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