Police kill man coming at them with metal rod
Los Angeles police officers responding to a kidnapping in the San Fernando Valley shot and killed a man who came at them with a metal rod, department officials said Tuesday.
John Eric Goudeaux, 45, of Van Nuys was pronounced dead at a hospital, said Craig Harvey of the coroner’s office. No officers were injured.
Police went to a home in the 17600 block of Runnymede Street near White Oak Avenue about 7 p.m. Monday where Goudeaux was holding his estranged wife captive, said Sgt. Lee Sands of the Los Angeles Police Department.
When officers arrived, Goudeaux became “belligerent and wouldn’t let the officers inside,” Sands said. Additional police and a supervisor were called to the scene.
Officers were trying to enter through a back door when Goudeaux approached them wielding the metal rod. One officer fired twice, killing the man, Sands said.
The officer was not immediately identified. The incident is being investigated by the LAPD’s Force Investigation Section.
*
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
