Man With Machete Shot Dead by San Fernando Police Officer

SAN FERNANDO — A San Fernando police officer shot and killed a machete-wielding man Tuesday night when he struck an officer with the weapon in front of a home improvement store, authorities said.

Police responded to a call from store employees at the Home Depot in the 12900 block of Foothill Boulevard, said Lt. Rico Castro of the San Fernando Police Department.

The unidentified victim, described by police as between 20 and 30 years old, walked shoeless and shirtless into the store and immediately removed two machetes and a piece of pipe from the shelves, Castro said.

He then walked outside the store, spotted a security guard and chased him back into his vehicle. Once the man cornered the security guard inside the patrol car, he used the pipe to smash the front windshield, Castro said.

He said an unidentified San Fernando police officer then arrived at the scene and attempted to detain the man, who had walked back to his vehicle, a red Toyota pickup truck.

The man attacked the officer who retreated and fell, and the man then struck him once on the back with the machete. The officer stood and fired several shots, killing the man, Castro said.