CHP shoots woman holding replica gun

ALHAMBRA Two police officers attempted to pull a speeding red BMW over at Garfield and Hellman around 11 p.m. Tuesday, suspecting that the 52-year-old female driver may have been under the influence.

Click in the Eyewitness News Story Window above to watch John Gregory's report from the scene.

When officers approached the vehicle, the driver allegedly pulled out a replica handgun and brandished it in a threatening way.

At least one of the officers opened fire and shot the woman.

She was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Officers said there was no way of knowing whether the gun real or not.

"In this case, this replica is virtually indistinguishable from a regular firearm. It shares all the same characteristics of a regular-looking deadly gun," said Lt. Dave Dolson from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The woman has not yet been identified, and police are still unsure why she brandished a replica handgun at CHP officers.

The shooting is the latest in a string of recent officer-involved-shootings involving the CHP. In fact, this is the third CHP shooting in the past two months.

In May, there were two shootings. One on 7th and Vermont, when authorities said the suspect pulled out a gun on officers. Then in Covina, officers fired when a suspect rammed a stolen car into patrol cars.

All the shootings ended with the suspect dying.

 

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