Sheriff’s Deputies Kill 2 Men

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies killed two men in separate incidents in southern Los Angeles County on Thursday night. Both men pointed .38-caliber handguns at officers, authorities said Friday.

In the first incident, four deputies from the Compton station saw a man riding a bike without reflectors on the sidewalk near White Avenue and Compton Boulevard about 7:30 p.m., said spokesman Scott Butler.

When they tried to stop him, the man peddled away, Butler said. About a block later, he crashed into a car, then ran.

“As the suspect was running, he stumbled, regained his footing, then turned and pointed a handgun at the deputies,” Lt. Joseph Hartshorne said.

The deputies fired, striking him in the upper torso and leg. The man had a loaded .38-caliber pistol, Hartshorne said.

About two hours later, deputies with the sheriff’s gang enforcement team tried to stop a car at Imperial Highway and Hulme Avenue in Lynwood. Two men got out and ran.

Deputies ran after the driver and saw him go into a carport and run into a pole.

“As the deputies approached the suspect, he turned and faced them,” Hartshorne said. “The suspect reached for his waistband, produced a gun and pointed it” at the deputies. Deputies recovered a revolver.

Neither man’s name was released.