Man shot by police after trying to ‘engage’ officers

A 38-year-old man has been shot by a Glendale police officer after he was seen fumbling with what could have been a gun and attempted to “engage” officers, a department spokesman said.

Police were called to the 1700 block of Riverside Drive in West Glendale at about 1:15 p.m. after firefighters -- responding to what had originally been a medical call for a man who had possibly overdosed -- asked for back up.

Firefighters told dispatchers that the man, whom police did not immediately identify, was violent and may have a gun, police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

When officers arrived, the man appeared to fumble with something in his hands before attempting to “engage” police, Lorenz said. That’s when one officer fired a single shot, injuring the man.

It was not immediately known what happened during the altercation, but a woman at the scene claimed the man was her boyfriend and that he was suicidal.

With firefighter/paramedics already on the scene, the man was treated and transported to a local hospital, Lorenz added.

Glendale police have temporarily closed portions of several streets in the Riverside-Rancho area near the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank to investigate the incident.

-- Jason Wells and Raul Roa, Times Community News

Twitter: @JasonBretWells

Photo: Glendale police investigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting in the 1700 block of Riverside Drive in Glendale, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2012. Credit: Raul Roa, Times Community News