It is unclear if the man seen in this photo shared by Dan via Twitter is the man now reported dead after being shot by LAPD.
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Witness Paul Gilmartin told the Los Angeles Times he was at a Peet’s Coffee & Tea on Ventura when he heard several shots fired. Witnesses say the man was firing his gun into the air, and ignored commands from the responding officers to drop his weapon.
An officer-involved shooting took place, sending hundreds of patrons on Ventura Boulevard into panic before a mass evacuation.
(CNS/FOX 11) Ventura Boulevard is closed to traffic between Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Laurelgrove Avenue in Studio City.
A busy stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City re-opened early Saturday morning after a 12-hour on-scene investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting that resulted in a bomb squad being deployed to the area.
A SWAT team also swept the area, and people were told to remain inside nearby businesses.
Keshishyan said the man eventually pointed his gun at officers, prompting them to fire at the suspect.
No one but the gunman was hit by gunfire, he said. Officers could not approach the suspect because of a suspicious device seen next to the suspect.
Despite the proximity to the Union Bank and a next-door Citi Bank the FBI says there are no reports of a bank robbery related to this incident.
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“Unfortunately, the motive and what brought him here to Ventura Boulevard is still unknown”, Det.
