Police shoot, kill man armed with 'bayonet-style weapon' in Hollywood, LAPD says

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles police shot and killed an armed man who had been vandalizing vehicles early Friday morning in Hollywood, officials said.

The incident happened at 1:15 a.m. in the 1400 block of Hobart Boulevard, according to LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez.

Two Los Angeles Police Department officers were on patrol in a vehicle when they came upon a man in his 40s who was armed with a "bayonet-style weapon," the lieutenant said. Ramirez described the weapon as "a long piece of something with a bayonet attached to the top of it."

An officer-involved shooting subsequently occurred.

The man, identified as a resident of the area who was in his 40s, was struck by gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene by firefighter-paramedics, the LAPD said. No officers were injured.

The deceased individual's girlfriend, Roxana Villalobos, said his name was Marcelo Luna and that he had a history of mental health issues.

According to the woman, the couple had fought shortly before the encounter with police. She said what Luna "had with him at the time was a bayonet."

"It didn't have bullets, it didn't have a stock, nothing," Villalobos said. "It was just basically the barrel and the knife attached to it."

It was not immediately clear what prompted police to open fire. Surveillance video of the shooting was being examined by investigators.

"In a way I understand them," Luna's girlfriend said, referring to the officers. "He's holding what looks to be a rifle. They don't know if it's loaded or not, and the way he ... I'm not sure -- maybe he pointed it at them. I'm not sure. I think under the circumstances that they did the best they could."