Man Shot by Police Wielding Fork, Knives

Los Angeles police said a 40-year-old man was shot early on May 16 after officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call in Boyle Heights encountered him outside a residence armed with two knives and a grilling fork. The Los Angeles Police Department identified the man as Robert Velasquez and said the confrontation happened at about 1:45 a.m. in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue. According to a department statement released May 18, officers gave repeated commands for Velasquez to drop the weapons, but he did not comply. The department said he then threw one of the knives toward officers, setting off the first round of gunfire. ### Where did the confrontation begin? The LAPD said Hollenbeck Patrol Division officers were sent to Glenn Avenue after a radio call reported an assault with a deadly weapon in progress at a residence. A family member of the suspect met officers outside the home as they began investigating, the department said. Boyle Heights media reports on May 17 and May 18 placed the shooting in the Hollenbeck Division area east of downtown Los Angeles. KTLA and NBC Los Angeles both reported that officers were responding to an assault call when they confronted an armed man outside the residence. ### What did police say Velasquez was holding? The LAPD said Velasquez emerged from the residence carrying two knives and a grilling fork. Officers ordered him to drop the weapons, according to the department’s statement, but police said he did not comply. NBC Los Angeles and KTLA, citing police, reported the same sequence: an armed man came out of the home, ignored commands and moved into a confrontation with officers. The LAPD’s written account is the most detailed public version so far and says one knife was thrown in the officers’ direction before shots were fired. ### Why were there two separate shootings? The department said the first officer-involved shooting occurred after Velasquez threw one knife while still holding another knife and the grilling fork. Police said Velasquez fell to the ground momentarily after that burst of gunfire. The LAPD said a second officer-involved shooting followed when Velasquez began getting back to his feet while still holding the knife and grilling fork. The department did not say in its initial release how many officers fired or how many total rounds were discharged, but it described the gunfire as two separate uses of force during the same encounter. ### What happened after he was shot? The LAPD said Velasquez collapsed after being struck by gunfire but still refused to submit to arrest. Officers then used what the department described as a less-lethal shotgun to take him into custody. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took Velasquez to a local hospital, according to police. The department did not release his medical condition in the statement posted online. ### What do investigators know about injuries and evidence? The LAPD said no officers were injured in the shooting. The department also said investigators recovered the weapons at the scene as evidence. The May 18 statement came with a standard caution that the account is preliminary and may change as investigators interview witnesses, review records and analyze forensic evidence. That language appears routinely in LAPD officer-involved shooting releases. ### What happens next in the case? The LAPD said its Force Investigation Division has taken over the case. That unit handles officer-involved shooting investigations for the department and prepares cases for internal review. The department’s newsroom listed the case on May 18 as “Officer-Involved Shooting in Hollenbeck Division NRF024-26bb.” LAPD also maintains a public critical-incident video page, where additional footage or a later update could be posted as the investigation moves forward.