Wounded Southern California police officer shoots and kills man during ‘unprovoked’ knife attack

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California officer shot and killed a man who stabbed him with a knife outside a city police headquarters in what authorities called an “unprovoked attack.”

A man in his 30s approached the male officer outside the front doors of the Santa Monica Police Department around 5:20 p.m. Saturday, officials said. The man was told he would need to wait while the officer finished speaking to a resident.

“Without warning, the individual attacked the officer while pulling a knife from his clothing. The suspect slashed and stabbed the officer,” the department said in a statement posted on the social media site X.

The officer pulled out his gun and retreated around the corner of the building as the man continued the attack, according to the police statement. The officer then shot the man, the department said.

Police and the Santa Monica Fire Department provided emergency medical aid but the man died at the scene, the statement said.

After being treated for “very serious” wounds, the officer was released from the hospital and will recover at home, police said Sunday on X.

Santa Monica police and the LA County District Attorney’s Office will investigate, the department said.