An investigation was continuing Thursday into the fatal shooting by police of an allegedly machete-wielding 35-year-old homeless man during a confrontation at a popular Calabasas restaurant.
Police were called at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday to the 23400 block of West Calabasas Road and Mulholland Drive regarding an assault with a deadly weapon, LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman told City News Service.
Upon their arrival, officers located the man — identified the county Medical Examiner as Benjamin Pritchard — who had been armed with a machete and allegedly attacked someone in the parking lot of a McDonald’s, police said. Pritchard then ran to the nearby Sagebrush Cantina restaurant, where he was confronted by officers, allegedly while carrying a knife and a bottle, police said.
Officers attempted to subdue the man using a Taser, but those efforts failed, police said, and officers ultimately shot the man, who died at a hospital.
Police recovered the machete and a knife at the scene.
Eisenman said no officers were injured.