Police Kill Driver Who Tried to Run Over Bicycle Officers

Los Angeles Police on Thursday night shot to death a motorist who earlier had tried to run over two bicycle patrol officers, a department spokesman said.

Kenneth Lewis, 33, died of multiple gunshot wounds after being pursued by two Northeast Station officers in the Mt. Washington area, said LAPD Lt. John Dunkin.

Dunkin said the two gang-suppression officers, who spotted Lewis’ car parked in an alley Thursday night, were unaware that he had fled several hours earlier from two bicycle patrol officers who had been trying to question him about an open container of alcohol in his car.

“In the course of the two officers investigating the open container in the suspect’s car, he came over and became confrontational,” Dunkin said.

Police said Lewis jumped in the car and tried to run over the officers as he fled.

A check of Lewis’ license plate by the gang officers a few hours later revealed that he had an outstanding felony warrant from an earlier incident and was considered armed and dangerous, police said.

The officers said that as Lewis pulled out of the alley, they followed him and tried to pull him over. Police said Lewis refused to stop and led them on a 15-minute chase that ended when he ran a red light on Figueroa Street and crashed into two cars that were westbound on Marmion Way.

When the officers approached Lewis’ car, they saw him holding a knife and struggling with his passenger, Delia Mendoza, 27, investigators said.

“There was apparently an ongoing dispute between her and the suspect,” Dunkin said.

Officers used pepper spray on Lewis in an effort to subdue him, officials said. They said that when the pepper spray failed to stop him from attacking Mendoza, the officers fired two rounds at him.

“At the time the shooting occurred, he was threatening to stab her if the officers came any closer to the car,” Dunkin said.

Lewis, who was struck in the upper torso, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mendoza was treated for minor cuts at a local hospital and released.

The drivers of the two cars Lewis hit were also treated for minor injuries and released.