A man who died on Interstate 105 in Lynwood, California, near South Los Angeles, on Nov. 19, used a taser on a responding officer who then shot him, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
A video shared on social media shows a CHP officer struggling to restrain the homeless man, who was identified as Jesse Dominguez, 33, by the Los Angeles Times.
During the struggle, which occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, the officer abruptly stood up and began shooting several rounds at the man.
According to the CHP, the man had used a taser against the officer.
“As the officer approached the pedestrian, a struggle ensued in the lanes of the freeway,” CHP said in a Monday statement provided to The Epoch Times. “During the struggle, the pedestrian was able to access a taser he had in his possession, activated the weapon, and used the taser against the officer. Following the pedestrian’s use of the weapon against the officer, and in fear for his safety, the officer fired his service weapon, striking the pedestrian.”
The incident happened after the CHP’s Los Angeles communications center received several calls reporting a pedestrian walking in the traffic lanes of the westbound I-105 freeway near Wilmington Avenue.
A South Los Angeles CHP officer arrived on scene and found the pedestrian walking in traffic. The officer made repeated verbal attempts to persuade the pedestrian to leave the traffic lanes, but he refused, according to the CHP’s news release.
The officer stopped all westbound traffic on the freeway because of the immediate danger to the public. As the officer approached the pedestrian, the two began to wrestle on the ground in the middle of the freeway, the CHP reported.
The officer was placed on administrative leave, in accordance with department protocol, the CHP reported. The California Department of Justice (DOJ) is the primary investigating agency for the incident, and the CHP is fully cooperating with their investigation, the CHP added.
The California Attorney General’s office confirmed the DOJ is investigating the incident and will independently review the shooting, the office said in a press release Monday.
Mr. Dominguez’s family members told the Los Angeles Times he might have been in the midst of a mental health episode or drug-fueled crisis during the incident.
From The Epoch Times