LAPD officer shoots and kills woman allegedly assaulting people with metal pipe in Tarzana

TARZANA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a woman who allegedly was assaulting people with a metal pipe in Tarzana on Sunday.

The incident happened around 8:35 a.m. in a parking lot of a gas station near Burbank and Reseda boulevards, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

At least four victims experienced serious head and neck injuries due to the woman having what some residents described as a mental health emergency.

"When officers arrived to the area of the call, they encountered that suspect here in the parking lot of the 76 gas station..." said Sgt. Bruce Borihanh of the LAPD. "Officers attempted to take the suspect into custody. They used a taser, a 40 millimeter foam baton round, and an officer-involved shooting occurred."

No officers were injured in the encounter.

One nearby resident said that she hates that the shooting happened.

"I hate that this happened because she was having a mental crisis. She wasn't a bad person, I don't think. It's just that she needed some help," said Rita Elder.

The suspect has only been described as a woman in her 30s, and neighbors believe she lived in the area.

Witnesses say she had been smashing car windows and damaging property on Saturday.

Neighbors also said that they had several troubling encounters with the woman over the past several months, and they believe it all stemmed from mental health issues.

Several streets in the immediate area were closed for the ongoing investigation.