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Suspect Shot While Charging At La Verne Police; Officer Accidentally Struck By Friendly Fire

LA VERNE (CBSLA.com) – A man was shot and wounded after charging at La Verne police during a domestic disturbance call early Saturday morning in which an officer was also struck by friendly fire, authorities said. The injured officer is expected to survive.

At about 3:20 a.m., La Verne police responded to a report of a family disturbance at a residence in the 2400 block of Foothill Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

On arrival, officers were confronted by a man with an unknown object in his hand. The man refused orders to drop the object, which one officer believed to be a weapon. The suspect moved towards the officer, prompting him to fire at least one round at the suspect, the sheriff's department said.

After firing his gun, the officer determined the object was not a weapon. However, the suspect continued to move towards the officer in a "threatening manner," LASD said in a news release.

The officer then tried unsuccessfully to taser the suspect, who reached into his waistband "and made a threatening statement which led the officer to believe" he was arming himself. That prompted the officer to fire several more shots at the suspect, hitting him in the upper torso.

One of those shots also struck a fellow officer in the lower torso, the sheriff's department reports.

The suspect and officer were taken to nearby hospitals. The officer was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect's condition is unknown.

It is unclear if the suspect in fact had a weapon, LASD said. The sheriff's department is assisting La Verne police in the investigation. No names were released.

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