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Dead Swordsman at Scientology Center was from Oregon
The man who was shot and killed yesterday in a Scientology building parking lot has not been officially identified, but police say he is from Florence, Oregon and was involved with the church "a long time ago."
"I thought it was part of a show," a teenager who saw the alleged attack begin as he entered the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. The man had two recently bought swords and drove into the parking lot. He held a sword in each hand and approached three security guards. "The evidence is very clear the security officers were defending their safety," said Deputy Chief Terry S. Hara of the Los Angeles Police Department. The secruity officers also have not been identified.
The Oregonian reposted two Scientology violence stories from the 1990s on their blog this morning.
LAPD released a statement around 11:30 a.m. on Monday:
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Los Angeles: Hollywood homicide detectives are investigating a shooting that killed a 48-year-old man who attempted to stab security guards with a sword. On November 23, 2008, at around 11:59 a.m., officers from Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Area responded to a call of an "assault with a deadly weapon" suspect who was at the Church of Scientology in the 5900 block of Franklin Avenue. When they arrived, officers observed a suspect in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound.
The detectives' investigation revealed that the victim was shot by an armed security guard after he attempted to stab other security guards with a sword.
The suspect's identity is not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin. The deceased is a white male, 48 years of age. His address is unknown at this time.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has information regarding it is asked to contact Hollywood homicide detectives at (213) 972-2910 or (213) 972-2902. After-hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. Tipsters may also submit information on the LAPD website, www.lapdonline.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
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