The Los Angeles Police Department released footage of their deadly encounter with a man holding a woman hostage with a knife on Wednesday morning.
WATCH:
Police were called to Central Lutheran Church on June 16th becasue of a report that a man had stabbed his ex-girlfriend. Upon arrival, LAPD encountered a man, now known as Guillermo Perez, wielding a knife. When police approached Perez and repeatedly told him to “drop the knife,” he failed to comply.
Perez began to approach police and was shot several times with bean bags, which proved to be unsuccessful as he deflected them with a folding chair that he was holding. As police drew closer, Perez retreated, found a bystander and put his knife to her throat.
A witness to the tragedy said Perez began a “sawing motion against her throat and cut her throat,” at which point LAPD fired 18 shots, killing both Perez and his hostage.
There is an ongoing investigation as to whether the officer’s actions align with hostage training protocol.