One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Investigation underway into Hollywood & Highland officer-involved shooting
An eyewitness photo of a man who was shot at the Hollywood and Highland intersection by police on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014. (The man has been pixelated due to the graphic nature of the photo. This photo has also been cropped.
(
Lisa Bregman
)
A photo showing the scene of the Hollywood and Highland shooting taken by an eyewitness on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014.
(
Lisa Bregman
)
The scene of an officer-involved shooting at Hollywood and Highland on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, as seen in a screenshot from NBC L.A.
(
NBC L.A.
)
Two Los Angeles police bicycle officers shot and killed a man Friday night in Hollywood after someone called 911 to report a man with knife, according to L.A. police.
Police got a radio call about a man with a knife at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue around 7 p.m.
Deputy Chief Terry Hara said the suspect was threatening the crowd and the officers. Two officers who were on bicycle patrol fired their weapon at the man, Hara said.
The suspect, who hasn’t been named, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police shared a photo of the folding knife that was found at the scene.
Several witnesses captured the aftermath of the shooting and shared their photos and videos on social media.
Lisa Bregman, who tweeted two photos of the scene, was traveling east on Hollywood Boulevard and stopped at the traffic light, waiting to turn left onto Highland Avenue.
Sponsored message
“I heard popping sounds and didn’t know what it was, and looked up and saw people ducking,” she said. It sounded like firecrackers, Bregman said.
When she looked up, Bregman said she saw two officers with their guns drawn and a man lying in the crosswalk. She said she heard someone yell, “He still has a knife.”
“I was in shock,” Bregman said. “It’s not every day that you see someone get shot and is bleeding right in front you.”
"I heard of series of like four or five pops," Matthew Rojas, a character performer who was there, told KPCC media partner NBC L.A. (You can also view NBC LA's map of officer involved shootings at the end of this story.)
Henry Hodge was staying across the street at the Hollywood Youth Hostel.
"The cars stopped, the people stopped and immediately people starting panicking," Hodge told NBC L.A.
Police say they are still trying to find the person who was reportedly the victim of an assault. No officers were hurt.
Sponsored message
The shooting scene is right next to the Walk of Fame and other Hollywood landmarks. Police closed the busy intersection while they investigated the shooting.
A march called "BlackOut Hollywood" is being held at noon Saturday, marching from the W Hollywood Hotel to the Chinese Theatre, near where Friday night's shooting was.
BlackOut Hollywood march tweet
Near the site of the shooting, someone had marked in chalk, "Welcome to a murder scene."
This story has been updated.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
