Man Shot by Police Wielding Fork, Knives

Los Angeles police shot and wounded a 40-year-old man in Boyle Heights early on May 16 after he came out of a residence carrying two knives and a grilling fork, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The shooting happened at about 1:45 a.m. in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue, where Hollenbeck Division officers had responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon in progress. LAPD identified the man as Robert Velasquez in a department statement released May 18. Velasquez was taken to a hospital, and no officers or other community members were injured, police said. ### Where did the confrontation begin? The 3000 block of Glenn Avenue was the scene officers were sent to after a radio call reported an assault with a deadly weapon at a residence, LAPD said. When officers arrived, they first spoke outside with a family member of the suspect while they investigated the call, according to the department’s statement. (lapdonline.org) ABC7 and NBC Los Angeles reported the confrontation unfolded in Boyle Heights, within LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division, and said nearby streets were affected as the investigation continued after the shooting. ABC7 identified Glenn Avenue and Dacotah Street as the area expected to remain closed for several hours. ### What did police say Velasquez was holding? (lapdonline.org) Robert Velasquez emerged from the residence with two knives and a grilling fork, LAPD said. Officers gave him verbal commands to drop the weapons, but he did not comply, according to the department’s account. Two knives and a grilling fork were later recovered at the scene and booked as evidence, police said. (abc7.com) The department described its account as preliminary and said its understanding of the facts and circumstances could change as investigators review witness statements, records and forensic evidence. ### What prompted officers to fire? LAPD said Velasquez threw one of the knives in the officers’ direction while still armed with another knife and the grilling fork, and that an officer-involved shooting then occurred. (lapdonline.org) After falling to the ground momentarily, Velasquez began to get back up while still holding the knife and fork, leading to a second officer-involved shooting, the department said. KTLA and ABC7, citing police, also reported that the man refused commands to drop the knife before the shooting. ABC7 said no officers or other people were hurt in the encounter. ### What happened after the shots were fired? Velasquez collapsed after being struck by gunfire but refused to submit to arrest, LAPD said. Police said he then sat up and moved toward the front door of the residence, prompting officers to use what the department called an intermediate force option before taking him into custody. (lapdonline.org) Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took Velasquez to a local hospital after officers rendered medical aid at the scene, according to LAPD. (ktla.com) The department did not disclose his condition in the statement released May 18. ### Who is investigating the shooting now? LAPD’s Force Investigation Division took over the case after the shooting, the department said. (lapdonline.org) The agency said the inquiry remains ongoing and noted that the facts could change as investigators analyze physical evidence and electronic records. The May 18 LAPD notice said anyone with information can call 1-877-LAPD-24-7, and anonymous tips can be submitted through Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. (lapdonline.org) Those contacts are the next public step identified by police as the investigation continues.