SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – A knife-wielding man was shot to death by sheriff’s deputies Sunday at the same Santa Clarita intersection where a woman was found stabbed to death a few hours earlier.
The shooting occurred at about 7:40 a.m. at Bouquet Canyon Road and Spunky Canyon Road, where the woman was found stabbed to death at about 1:15 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Information Bureau.
Homicide investigators and deputies were at the intersection investigating the woman’s death when they saw the man walking on a dirt access road adjacent to the road where the woman’s body was discovered, sheriff’s officials said. The access road was private and cordoned off by a barbed wire fence.
Related: Woman found stabbed to death in Santa Clarita
The man produced a knife when he was contacted by deputies and they attempted to detain him safely, the officials said. The man was shot when he advanced toward the deputies.
The woman and the suspect were both pronounced dead at the scene.
This shooting comes on the heels of a viral video showing deputies threatening to “shoot a man in the chest” in the unincorporated area of Gardena on Jan. 2 which was covered extensively by Streetsblog LA.
Sheriff Robert Luna waited days before making a public statement on the matter and was merely concerned with the “unprofessional” language used by the deputy as opposed to the actual threat made on the man’s life. Luna also appears to not know the difference between South LA and Gardena.
“Sheriff (Robert) Luna has made it clear that he expects Department personnel to treat all members of the public with dignity and respect, and that personnel who do not uphold our training standards will be held accountable,” the statement said.
It is unknown if the deputies involved have been held accountable by the Sheriff, yet.
Asm. Tina McKinnor, who represents the area where the incident took place, said she would be following up with the Sheriff.
As the mother of two Black sons, this is my greatest fear. This young man could have been my child. Law enforcement has the responsibility to de-escalate situations, not threaten to kill someone livestreaming in their parked car. I’m done & will be following up with LA Sheriff. https://t.co/Hg8v0xwCuQ
— Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (@AsmTinaMcKinnor) January 5, 2023
The sheriff’s Homicide Bureau urged anyone with information about either incident to call them at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.
City News Service contributed to this report.
