Police fatally shoot knife-wielding man at popular Calabasas restaurant

A knife-wielding man who had just attacked a victim with a machete was fatally shot by Los Angeles police officers outside the popular Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas, police said.

The shooting occurred about 7:40 p.m. Wednesday when police responded to a call about an assault with a deadly weapon in the 23300 block of Avenue San Luis in nearby Woodland Hills, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The gunman was not immediately identified.

The man had allegedly attacked another person with a machete in a McDonald’s parking lot nearby, police said. The victim was able to disarm the attacker, who then took up a knife.

Responding officers found the man running from the scene with the knife, authorities said.

The man then headed toward the open Sagebrush Cantina restaurant on Calabasas Road. The restaurant was open and had customers inside, police said.

“As the suspect entered the parking lot area of the restaurant they deployed a taser at the suspect, who was armed with a knife in one hand and a glass bottle in the other hand. The taser appears to have been ineffective,” the LAPD said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The officers said they tried to tase the man a second time but he then moved to the patio of the restaurant.

At one point, the man turned and faced the officers “still armed with the knife,” police said.

“Shortly thereafter, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” police said. “The suspect was struck by the [officers’] gunfire.”

The suspected was transported to a local hospital, where he died.

No officers were injured in the incident.

The Sagebrush Cantina, which opened in 1974, is a mainstay of old town Calabasas. The popular Mexican restaurant is located just south of the 101 Freeway and serves thousands of people per week.