Knife-wielding man shot dead by police after charging cops in Santa Monica

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A crazed man was shot and killed by police after randomly charging at officers with a knife in a busy stretch of Santa Monica on Saturday afternoon.

The suspect ran at Santa Monica Police officers with a “large, kitchen-style” knife while they investigated a reported domestic violence incident in the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue around 12:49 p.m., steps from the famed Santa Monica Pier.

Police said he was not involved with the domestic violence incident and came at officers while they were interviewing witnesses. Santa Monica Police Lt. Lewis Gilmour told The California Post that the man was “100%” unrelated to their investigation.

One officer then fired at the knife-wielding man, hitting him. Emergency responders tried to save the man’s life, but later died at the hospital. Gilmour described the man as in his late 40s, but had no other information.

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Police will release bodycam video of the incident at some point in the future, Gimour added.

Video at the scene showed several police vehicles and yellow tape surrounding the scene.

“The scene remains active as investigators preserve evidence and conduct the preliminary investigation,” police wrote in a press release. “The public is asked to avoid the area. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.”