Machete-Wielding Suspect Shot, Killed By LAPD In Hollywood After Wild Crime Spree

HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA) – A man wielding a machete was shot and killed by Los Angeles police after going on a crime spree in Hollywood Monday morning in which he robbed an auto shop, carjacked a vehicle and then crashed into several police cruisers.

The ordeal began at around 11:30 a.m., when the suspect entered an auto parts store at Highland Avenue, near Sunset Boulevard, and robbed it while armed with a machete.

The store clerk told CBS2 the suspect entered the store waving around a large knife before stealing some batteries and jumper cables.

"That knife has been declared to be a machete, large in length, about a foot to a foot-and-a-half in length with the blade," LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez said at a Monday afternoon news conference.

Cell phone video showed the suspect then ran to a nearby Chick-fil-A, where he carjacked a vehicle that was sitting in the drive thru. With officers surrounding the car, he somehow sped out into the street and immediately slammed into two police vehicles at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue.

He then ran from the crash, still holding the machete, with officers giving chase. Officer initially used "less-lethal options" to try and subdue the man, Ramirez explained, but eventually were forced to open fire on him in the 1400 block of McCadden Place.

He was rushed to a hospital, where he died. His identity was not released.

"That suspect was struck, fell to the ground and was then taken into custody,"  Ramirez said. "He was then transported to a local hospital for medical treatment where he has since been declared deceased."

An LAPD officer suffered "minor scrapes and abrasions" during the incident. The driver who was carjacked was not hurt.

Aerial footage from the scene showed a pool of blood in the middle of the roadway.

The public was advised to avoid the area around Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue, which was expected to remain closed into Monday evening.