MONROVIA : CHP Patrolman Shoots Knife-Wielding Man

A 32-year-old Monrovia man carrying a kitchen knife was shot after he reportedly advanced on a California Highway Patrol officer as the patrolman was ticketing motorists during a traffic stop.

Eric Johnson was reported in stable condition Friday at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena after he was shot three times in the abdomen, said CHP spokesman Alex Gonzalez. The shooting occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday after a CHP officer signaled a car with two passengers to pull off the Foothill Freeway and stop on Central Avenue near the Myrtle Avenue exit.

The officer, a three-year veteran whose name was not released, was standing near his patrol car when a man with a knife advanced from the lawn of a nearby house, Gonzalez said. The officer fired multiple times when the man, ignoring commands to stop, continued walking toward the officer, even after being knocked to the ground by the first shot, Gonzalez said. The shooting is under investigation by Monrovia police and CHP detectives.