VIDEO: Torrance police fatally shoot man allegedly brandishing knife

Friday, June 1, 2018
VIDEO: Torrance police fatally shoot man allegedly brandishing knife
Torrance police shot and killed a man they said was brandishing a knife near a Planet Fitness gym on Hawthorne Boulevard Friday.

TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- Torrance police shot and killed a man they said was brandishing a knife near a Planet Fitness gym on Hawthorne Boulevard Friday.

Officers responded to a call about the man around 8:47 a.m. at 20040 Hawthorne Blvd. According to police, the man refused to comply with officers' orders.

According to police, the suspect would not comply even after non-lethal measures were used, at which point an officer-involved shooting took place.

Video of the shooting taken by a witness shows the suspect sitting on the ground in the parking lot at first, being struck by multiple non-lethal rounds. The man then gets up and charges toward officers, who in turn open fire.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene after officers attempted to revive him, authorities said. Two knives were recovered at the scene, according to police.

Witnesses said the man was behaving erratically and threatening people with a knife before officers arrived on the scene. The witness who filmed the shooting said police attempted to reason with the main to no avail.

"He was threatening, he was deliberate, he was walking right toward them without any thought of stopping," said Brandon Hallock.

The man had been sitting in the parking lot beside a reptile terrarium containing a snake, and witnesses said he had been waving the snake around "in a ritualistic way."

Police have not yet released the identity of the deceased suspect.

Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact the Torrance Police Department Detective Division at 310-618-5570.