A “possibly homeless” man who was accused of threatening the staff of a Little Tokyo hotel with a knife was shot by Los Angeles police early Sunday morning, but is expected to survive, authorities said.
The man — who was described only as in his 30s — was shot in the lobby of the Miyako Hotel on 1st Street around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Officer Norma Eisenman, a department spokeswoman.
Responding officers from Central Division opened fire after the man allegedly advanced toward them with the knife and ignored commands to drop the weapon, Eisenman said. Eisenman described the man as “possibly homeless,” though an LAPD captain told several TV stations that the person was transient.
The man was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition as of 9 a.m. Sunday.
No officers or hotel guests were injured, Eisenman said. An employee who answered the phone at the Miyako Hotel on Sunday morning said she did not witness the shooting and referred all questions to a manager, who was not immediately available for comment.
Eisenman said officers did not attempt to use less-lethal munitions, such as a Taser or beanbag shotgun, because the confrontation “happened too fast.” It was not clear if surveillance footage of the incident was available, and The Times could not independently verify the police account of the shooting.
Located just below San Pedro Street, the Miyako Hotel sits near the bustling Japanese Village shopping district at the center of Little Tokyo. Tensions over the presence of homeless encampments in the area have risen in recent years. Last March, protesters clashed with city workers over the removal of a homeless encampment at nearby Toriumi Plaza.
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James Queally writes about crime and policing in Southern California, where he currently covers Los Angeles County’s criminal courts and the district attorney’s office for the Los Angeles Times.
I'm surprised incidents like this don't happen more often considering that Little Tokyo is right next to Skid Row.