Officers from the department's Mission Division were called at 12:30 a.m. to an apartment complex in the 9400 block of Van Nuys Boulevard between Gledhill and Vincennes streets regarding a suspect who was armed with a knife and threatening family members, according to the LAPD.
When the officers arrived, they encountered the woman and told her to drop the knife and surrender, a police statement said. The woman did not comply and shortly afterward, officers opened fire, authorities said.
Prior to the shooting, officers deployed a Taser, police said.
The suspect was struck by gunfire and taken into custody, the LAPD statement said. Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department took the unidentified woman to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
A knife was recovered at scene and will be booked as evidence, the LAPD said.
No officers or bystanders were injured.