The California Department of Justice investigation continued Friday into the fatal California Highway Patrol shooting of a pedestrian who was reportedly armed with a hammer on the northbound Hollywood (101) Freeway near downtown Los Angeles.
The California Highway Patrol was informed about 7:30 a.m. Thursday that a pedestrian possibly armed with a hammer was on the northbound Hollywood (101) Freeway just north of Fourth Street in Boyle Heights, according to the agency.
At least one officer who responded to the location opened fire, according to the CHP.
The suspect was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
The shooting forced a closure of the heavily traveled roadway and created the second police shooting-related traffic jam on an area freeway in less than a week.
The California Department of Justice has announced it had taken charge of the investigation.
The suspect’s name and age were not immediately available and it was not clear if a hammer was recovered.
All northbound traffic was diverted at Fourth Street and the Whittier Boulevard on-ramp to the northbound 101 was closed, as were the transition roads to the northbound 101 from the Pomona (60) and the San Bernardino (10) freeways following the shooting, with traffic backed up to the Long Beach Freeway.
Southbound lanes were briefly shut down but quickly reopened following the shooting, according to the CHP.
The northbound closures remained in place until about 3:40 p.m. Thursday, the CHP reported.
Last Friday, a man who allegedly fired at officers with a “ghost gun” during a vehicle chase on the San Diego (405) Freeway in Westchester was fatally wounded by police. The decedent was identified as Thomas Hearn, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
That shooting prompted the closure of the northbound 405 from 4:30 a.m. to early afternoon Friday, creating major traffic backups in the area.
No officers were injured in either shooting.