A 26-year-old man was fatally shot and killed by a Los Angeles police officer in Torrance, Calif.-based Harbor-UCLA Medical center emergency room Dec. 19, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ruben Jose Herrera encountered police around 8:00 a.m. when LAPD officers were sent to investigate reports of a man throwing bottles at an apartment building, according to The Associated Press. Officers took Mr. Herrera into custody, but not before he allegedly reached for an officer's gun and a struggle ensued. Mr. Herrera and the officers were injured and taken to UCLA-Harbor Medical Center emergency room.
Mr. Herrera was handcuffed to a gurney in the emergency room, and officers took off the handcuffs around 2:30 p.m. to transport him to jail. Once the handcuffs were removed, Mr. Herrera picked up a metal stool and began to attack the officers. LAPD officers attempted to use a Taser to stop him, LAPD Lieutenant John Jenal told the Los Angeles Times.
But when Mr. Herrera reached for an officer's gun, another officer shot and killed him.
Mr. Herrera's mother, Graciel Herrera, said her son was bipolar and was mistreated by police. "My son was doing everything he was told. I told them to stop. My son was bipolar," she said, according to KLTA.com.
Thirty-five people have been shot by on-duty LAPD officers in 2015, and 20 — including Mr. Herrera — have been killed.
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