Man armed with knife shot and killed by customer at Cerritos restaurant, sheriff's department says

CERRITOS, Calif. (KABC) -- A man armed with a knife was shot and killed at a restaurant inside a busy shopping center in Cerritos on Sunday afternoon, authorities say.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to a report of a person armed with a knife at Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que in the 11300 block of South Street at approximately 2:12 p.m.

At the scene, deputies found an adult male with an apparent gunshot wound and lacerations. Deputies initiated life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies said a preliminary investigation found that the armed man entered the restaurant and ran through the kitchen/service areas, "frightening customers and staff."

A customer who was "lawfully armed and possessed a valid concealed carry permit" confronted the man and ordered him to drop the knife, according to deputies. That's when the man reportedly charged toward the customer with the knife, and the customer shot him.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department source said an off-duty officer was present and witnessed the shooting, but did not fire their weapon. The man with the knife reportedly stabbed himself before walking into the restaurant, according to the source.

Eyewitness News spoke to an employee who described a graphic scene, saying that what he saw was straight out of a horror film.

"I just saw a guy run in the restaurant with his throat slit, and he had a knife. Once he went to the main dining area with all the guests, I guess there was another guest that was sitting down. He pointed a gun at him, told him to put the knife down, the guy kept walking toward him like Michael Myers. He shot him," the employee recalled.

Investigators believe the incident began before the man reached the restaurant. The sheriff's department source told Eyewitness News the man had been driving a stolen truck before abandoning it and stabbing himself at a nearby Starbucks on South Street.

Magaly Zacarias said she noticed the driver before he ran toward Lucille's.

"I noticed a driver driving recklessly into the plaza. He just left the car there, ran off to Lucille's, and it seemed like he had a knife in his hand, and he was also wounded," Zacarias said. "I got a closer look at the car, and it seems like there was already blood all over the steering wheel and inside of the car."

AIR7 video from above the scene showed a large police presence. The restaurant is inside a large shopping center right off the 605 Freeway.

Zacarias, who works nearby, said the violence was shocking for people who work in the area.

"We were really anxious, especially because this plaza is safe, so it was a little shocking for us to hear what was happening," she said.

Frequent shoppers in the area also said they were shaken by the shooting.

"It's just crazy to think about, because what if we were, well, knock on wood, but what if we were nearby and something like this happened? And now it's like, OK, we have to be careful with our surroundings," said Daniela Reyes of Cerritos.

Javier Reyes said he hopes security is increased.

"Hopefully there's more security, because this is kind of unacceptable that this happened, and it makes me worried to go out for a nice Sunday dinner," he said.

Homicide investigators and the sheriff's department deputies had the restaurant blocked off as the investigation continued. Witnesses and employees were being questioned.

Investigators have not released the name of the man who was shot and killed. They also have not released a possible motive for why he hurt himself and then went to the restaurant.

Deputies said the customer who shot the armed man remained at the scene and is fully cooperating with investigators.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.