Police Fatally Shoot Allegedly Armed Motorist Who Crashed Into Multiple Cars in South Los Angeles.
A male motorist who struck multiple vehicles before crashing into a light pole was fatally shot by police in the Florence neighborhood of South Los Angeles Monday night, LAPD said.
The incident began shortly after 6 p.m., when officers in the area of Main Street and Florence Avenue observed a dark sedan driving erratically and began following the car, according to Los Angeles Police Department Detective Meghan Aguilar.
The driver was traveling eastbound on Florence toward San Pedro Street when the car collided with two other vehicles, she said.
After the initial crash, the driver continued eastbound and struck a light pole.
“There was a sole individual in the vehicle who was armed with a firearm, and at which time there was an officer-involved shooting,” Aguilar said.
The person was struck by the gunfire and died at the scene. Sky5 aerial video over the scene showed a white sheet covering a the body on the roadway, not far from the crashed car.
Authorities haven’t released the person’s name or age.
A weapon was recovered at the scene, police said.
It was not exactly clear what prompted police to open fire, and that was the subject of an investigation. More information is expected once investigators interview the two officers involved in the shooting, according to the detective.
“What drew their attention first to that suspect vehicle, and they’ll have to go into detail about that. And they’ll ask them exactly what they saw and when they saw it with that individual; where he was, what he was doing, where the firearm was, was it pointed at them?” Aguilar said.
She emphasized that the information was still preliminary as the investigation continued into the night.
No LAPD officers were injured. The occupants of the other vehicles involved in the initial collisions suffered minor injuries or complained of pain, but no one was transported to a hospital.
A stretch of Florence Avenue has been shut down, and the area is expected to be impacted into the overnight hours.
