Suspect Wounded In Police Shooting Near Monrovia

EL MONTE, CA -- A knife-wielding man was shot in the leg Monday by El Monte police after use of a Taser was ineffective on the suspect, authorities said.

The confrontation occurred about 1 a.m. in the 10500 block of Garvey Avenue. The wounded man, whose name was not immediately released, was in stable condition at a hospital, according to the sheriff's department, which is assisting El Monte police.

No officers were injured.

"Detectives have learned that the suspect ... approached a local food establishment and tapped on a service window with a knife," Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez said in a statement. "The suspect demanded coffee and donuts and after the attendant handed him the items, the suspect walked away, refusing to pay."

El Monte police were sent to the scene on a "defrauding an innkeeper" call, Navarro-Suarez said.

"Upon arriving, the suspect, who was holding a knife, threw the hot cup of coffee toward one of the arriving officers," Navarro-Suarez said. "The officer used (a) Taser in an attempt to neutralize the threat. However, the Taser had no effect on the suspect.

A second officer also used a Taser in an attempt to neutralize the threat," but it again was ineffective, she said.

"It was at this time that the suspect raised the knife over his shoulder, in a throwing motion, at the officer, and an officer-involved shooting occurred," Navarro-Suarez said.

Deputies recovered the "large metal knife used by the suspect," she said.

-- City News Service, photo via Shutterstock