Deputies fatally shoot man who attacked another with garden claw in Bellflower

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man in Bellflower early Thursday after he stabbed another individual with a three-foot garden claw, authorities said.

Shortly after midnight, deputies responding to reports of street racing near Downey Avenue and Artesia Boulevard were approached by an individual who said a man had stabbed him with a garden claw, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

The man pointed out the suspect, who ran south on Downey Avenue, the Sheriff’s Department said.

When the deputies caught up with the suspect, he turned around and advanced on them with a three-foot garden tool with spikes on the end, according to the department.

The deputies opened fire, and the man was shot multiple times in the upper torso, officials said.

Authorities said the man was transported to a local hospital, where he died. The Los Angeles County coroner is still working to identify him.

The man’s mother told KCBS-TV Channel 2 that he was a 32-year-old father of six.

Los Angeles County fire paramedics treated the unidentified man who said he was stabbed by the suspect. No deputies were injured in the incident.

Authorities do not believe the street racing incident was connected to the stabbing.