Los Angeles police shot and critically injured a man armed with a knife Tuesday near USC’s South Los Angeles campus, authorities said.

About 4:45 p.m., two LAPD officers assigned to the LAPD’s Southwest Division conducted a traffic stop near Magnolia Avenue and 27th Street, about four blocks north of the University Park campus, Det. Meghan Aguilar said.

An altercation broke out between the officers and the vehicle’s sole occupant, described as a man in his 30s who was armed with a knife, Aguilar said.

At some point during the struggle, police shot the man, she said. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and was undergoing surgery, she said. His identity was not released, and police said there’s no indication he is enrolled at USC.


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The knife was recovered at the scene, Aguilar said.

The two officers were also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, although details of the officers’ injuries were not immediately available, Aguilar said. Police do not believe either officer was stabbed.

It’s unclear if the officers deployed less-than-lethal force before shooting the man, and police did not release details about what prompted the traffic stop.


The officers were not wearing body cameras but their patrol car had dash cameras, Aguilar said. The footage will be reviewed as part of the investigation.

The man shot Tuesday evening was the 33 rd person shot by LAPD officers this year. Of those, 18 have died.

The shooting will be reviewed by the LAPD, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, the Police Commission and its inspector general, which is customary in all LAPD shootings.

Follow @KateMather for more LAPD news.


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