Officer-involved shooting in Bell; suspect killed

BELL, Calif. (KABC) -- A man who allegedly refused to put down a knife when confronted by police died following an officer-involved shooting in Bell Thursday morning, officials said.

The incident was first reported around 8:15 a.m. in the 7100 block of Atlantic Avenue near Florence Avenue, Los Angeles County fire officials said.

Investigators say it started with a domestic dispute at a Jack-in-the Box restaurant on Florence. An incident of domestic violence and battery allegedly occurred between a man and a woman at the restaurant, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The 36-year-old suspect who allegedly assaulted the woman then walked to a nearby 7-Eleven. The woman, who had a young child with her, followed, continuing the argument.

Bell Police Department officers and a county sheriff's deputy then responded to 911 calls from the 7-Eleven.

Authorities said the suspect held a folding knife and would not comply with demands to put it down. When the suspect advanced, officers opened fire, authorities said.

Officials did not immediately release the identity of the suspect, but family members identified him as Vinson Ramos. They said the woman with him was his girlfriend and the child was her son.

"We are grieving and we don't understand why three officers shot at him," said Ramos' aunt. "It just seemed unnecessary."

No officers were hit during the incident, sheriff's officials said. Authorities said the suspect was struck by gunfire, and there was a large amount of blood present at the scene.

"The officers are forced to make a split-second decision based on the facts that are presented to them at that time. Something about the suspect's activity or his behavior necessitated that they did what they did," Bell police Lt. Bill Cotter said.

The sheriff's department said the East Los Angeles sheriff's deputy at the scene was not involved in the shooting of the suspect.

Los Angeles County fire officials said the suspect was transported by an ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he died a short time later.