(February 14, 2006) -- Bizarre circumstances preceded an LBPD officer-involved shooting shortly after midnight on Feb. 14 in the 1200 block of E. 10th St.

LBPD says a knife-wielding man refused officers' commands to drop the weapon, was undeterred by the officers' use of a Taser stun device...and charged toward two police officers, putting them in fear for their safety and causing them to fire their weapons at the man, striking and fatally wounding him.

In a written release, LBPD says the events began on at about 12:15 a.m. in the area of 10th St. and Orange Ave. when officers observed a possible crime in progress. They spotted a person lying down in the street and observed a dark colored Chrysler (newer model) sedan fleeing at a high rate of speed; the officers' efforts to stop the vehicle were unsuccessful...and when the officers returned to the original location, the downed subject was no longer in the area.

At roughly 12:30 a.m., officers were trying to determine if a crime had occurred when they observed a male Hispanic, approximately 20-30 years of age, standing in the middle of the road on the 1200 block of E. 10th Street. "The officers observed that the subject had blood on his face and was wielding a knife in his hand," the LBPD release said, and continued:

The County Coroner will determine the suspect's identity; as with all officer-involved shootings, LBPD's Homicide Detail and the L.A. County D.A. will investigate the incident.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact LBPD Homicide Detectives Dan Mendoza or Robert Gonzales at (562) 570-7244.