Deadly Police Shooting Shuts Down Major Freeway

A Los Angeles police officer fatally shot a knife- wielding motorist in Sherman Oaks today at the end of a car chase that started east of downtown, authorities said.

The officer-involved shooting on the westbound Ventura (101) Freeway near Van Nuys Boulevard occurred about 1:30 a.m., and all westbound lanes were closed. Two lanes were reopened about 7:30 a.m., and the remaining lanes were reopened shortly after 10 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco Villalobos.

Los Angeles police assigned to the Hollenbeck Station tried to pull over a Mercedes-Benz driver, possibly on suspicion of drunken driving. The pursuit ended near Van Nuys Boulevard when the motorist crashed into another vehicle and stopped, police said.

The driver got out of the vehicle with a knife and approached an officer, and an officer-involved shooting occurred, Los Angeles police Officer Cleon Joseph said. The fatally wounded man was declared dead at a hospital. His name was withheld pending notification of relatives.

An officer suffered a minor injury and was treated at a hospital and released, Joseph said.