Man shot dead by sheriff’s deputy after allegedly stabbing woman at Chatsworth courthouse
Investigators at the Chatsworth courthouse where a sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man who was accused of stabbing a woman. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
A man accused of stabbing a woman outside the Chatsworth courthouse was fatally shot by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Monday afternoon, authorities said.
The incident was reported about 12:15 p.m. at the San Fernando Valley courthouse, Sheriff’s Sgt. Vincent Plair said.
The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he later died, according to Sheriff’s Sgt. Aura Sierra. The man’s identity was not released pending notification of family.
The wounded woman was taken to a hospital where she remained Monday evening, Sierra said.
The suspect had stabbed the woman just moments before being shot, said Los Angeles Police Officer Norma Eisenman.
Thomas Feher, an attorney who witnessed the incident, told KTLA-TV that the assailant carried a “big knife.”
“The woman was literally climbing out of the car and stumbling and running for her life toward the courthouse,” Feher told the TV station.
The man chased her with the knife, then grabbed her with one hand while he clutched the knife, he said.
Deputies ordered the man to drop the knife, Feher said.
“He didn’t. That’s when they opened fire,” he said.
Video from the scene showed a pool of blood outside the courthouse front doors and paramedics treating a person nearby.
Minutes later, a woman on a gurney was moved into an ambulance.
The attack was reported as domestic violence, but police are trying to confirm whether the attacker and the woman knew each other, Eisenman said.
The woman is expected to survive.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
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UPDATES:
6:05 p.m.: This article was updated with confirmation that the man had died.
This article was originally published at 1:50 p.m.
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