The chase began in El Segundo with a report of an assault with a deadly weapon near the area of Imperial Avenue and McCarthy Court.
With assistance from Los Angeles police, the chase led to the north side of LAX, ending about 12:30 p.m. with a PIT maneuver near Manchester Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard.
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Video sent to Eyewitness News shows the suspect in a white SUV boxed in by two police cars. Officers have their weapons drawn. The man quickly climbs out the car window and as he steps onto the hood of a police cruiser, officers fire more than half a dozen shots and he drops to the ground.
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Up to four officers opened fire, including one sitting in the driver's seat of his cruiser who shot through the windshield.
Police said the unidentified suspect threatened officers while armed with a hatchet. The man was declared dead at the scene.
At a news conference, Lt. Joe Mendoza of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was asked if an officer is under threat while inside a car.
"That would be up to each individual person, of their threat level," Mendoza said, "because the threat that I can perceive is different than what you perceive."
"And definitely, the vehicle is not any area of safety," the lieutenant added. "It's not knife-proof or bulletproof or anything like that."