Metro security guard stabbed, suspect fatally shot in East Hollywood, officials say
EAST HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A suspect was shot and killed after stabbing a security guard Tuesday morning at a Metro station in East Hollywood, officials said.
The incident was reported shortly after 9 a.m. at the station located at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Sunset Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
In a statement, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the confrontation began when a person pressed an emergency alarm on the B Line train, which caused the train to stop short of the station.
"There were armed contract security guards on the train who then were able to reengage the train, so it could continue forward," LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar said. "When it arrived at the station though, the same suspect pulled that emergency brake again."
Police say the suspect got off the train and walked to an area closed to the public, prompting a tussle between the suspect and two security guards.
After security guards initially used pepper spray, the suspect stabbed one of the guards in the leg and a guard opened fire in self-defense, Metro said.
The wounded guard was transported to a hospital in stable condition, the agency said. The violence ended when the wounded suspect collapsed above ground, a block away at De Longpre and Vermont avenues.
The stabbing suspect was pronounced dead at the scene and was not immediately identified.
Video from AIR7 HD showed a canopy set up on a sidewalk.
Tuesday's incident was only the latest in a series of violent incidents that have occurred on Metro buses and trains in recent weeks.
On April 26, the transit agency's board of directors declared a public safety emergency in the wake of attacks on bus drivers and the fatal stabbing of a 66-year-old woman on a Metro train.
