Police Investigating Stabbings Shoot, Kill La Palma Man

A man who stabbed his girlfriend and friend inside his La Palma house was shot and killed by a police officer after he refused to put his weapon down, police said Monday.

The officer shot Bryan Baum, 21, inside a rear bedroom in a house at 5082 Bransford Drive, where he lived with his parents and the male victim, Sgt. Mark Yokoyama said.

Police said Baum stabbed girlfriend Stacey Newton, 21, of La Palma in the upper body. He then allegedly picked a fight with Kevin Thompson, 20, who lived with Baum.

“We don’t know what started this whole thing, but it wasn’t a lover’s triangle,” Yokoyama said. “We’ve asked and Kevin said he doesn’t know why he was being stabbed.”

Details of the shooting that occurred about 1:15 p.m. remained sketchy, Yokoyama said, but the officer who shot Baum said the man ignored his orders to drop the knife and continued stabbing Thompson.

“Both officers who were inside the residence told Bryan to put down his weapon,” Yokoyama said.

The officer-involved shooting is the department’s first in at least two decades, Yokoyama said. Police did not identify the officer but said he has worked for the department for nearly 15 years.

Paramedics treated Thompson at the scene for superficial wounds. Newton was taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital where she was in stable condition.

Police have no motive for Baum’s attack. Yokoyama said they will wait until toxicological tests are completed by the sheriff-coroner’s office.

The veteran officer was “emotionally shaken” by the incident, Yokoyama said. He was taken to police headquarters where he was questioned by investigators from the Orange County district attorney’s office, who routinely examine officer-involved shootings.

The violence stunned many residents in the comfortable housing tract in the city’s northern area, near the Riverside Freeway.

“The last time we had anything like this was a carjacking that took place on this street, but that was four or five years ago,” said Michael Mazzoni, 31.

Police responded to an emergency call about 1:20 p.m. made from the residence by an unidentified man, Yokoyama said.

“He called and said there was a female stabbed inside the house,” Yokoyama said.

When police arrived they went inside and found a bloody Newton lying on the floor. The officers continued to the rear of the residence after hearing an altercation involving two men. “Police saw two males fighting, with one of the men stabbing the other,” Yokoyama said. “That’s when police ordered the man to stop.”

Baum’s parents were well-known to neighbors. They were described as a middle-aged couple with children in their 20s. Neighbors said Baum frequently fought with his girlfriend.