A 45-year-old man was shot and killed by police Monday after he armed himself with knife during a call about a violation of a domestic violence restraining order, officials said.

The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. at an apartment building in the 200 block of South Witmer Street in Westlake, authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.


Patrol officers with LAPD’s Rampart Division responded to the scene and contacted the man, later identified as Los Angeles resident Takar Smith, who refused to exit the apartment unit.

Police said that they continued talking to Smith for approximately 15 minutes, before the he armed himself with a large knife.

That’s when authorities said the officers used less than lethal weapons on the 45-year-old, including pepper spray and a taser.

“The suspect momentarily dropped the knife, but immediately rearmed himself with the large knife, at which time an Officer-involved Shooting occurred,” official stated in the release. “The suspect was struck by gunfire and officers requested an ambulance, while providing first-aid to the suspect.”

Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived and pronounced Smith dead at the scene.

An approximately 10-inch butcher knife was recovered at the scene by investigators and booked as evidence (LAPD).
Authorities said that no officers were injured during the confrontation.

No further details were released.

Source : https://ktla.com/news/local-news/man-in-his-40s-shot-killed-by-police-in-westlake/