Man armed with hatchet fatally shot by L.A. County deputy in Compton

A man wielding a hatchet and threatening a convenience store employee in Compton was fatally shot by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The incident began about 12:15 p.m., when deputies responded to a 911 call reporting an armed man entering an AM/PM convenience store in the 2000 block of South Santa Fe Avenue, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

Mohammad Bahmani, owner of the store, said an employee noticed the man carrying a hatchet when he walked into the store and told him to leave.

The man threatened and swung the hatchet at the employee, who managed to avoid being hit, Bahmani said. Video surveillance footage shows the man leaving, then walking back toward the store before disappearing from view.

The store employee stepped outside to call 911, Bahmani said.

Bahmani said he had not spoken with his employee since the incident.

Deputies searched the area and located the suspect at the Compton Town Center Plaza shopping center, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies observed the suspect approaching one of the stores, still with the hatchet in hand, and he was shot by one of the deputies, the sheriff’s report stated.

The suspect, described as between 45 and 50 years old, was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the sheriff’s report said.

The investigation is continuing.