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

SANTA MONICA, California — A Southern California officer shot and killed a man who stabbed him with a knife outside a city’s 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 to wait while the officer finished talking to a resident.

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

The officer drew his gun and retreated around the corner of the building as the man continued the attack, the police statement said. The officer then shot the man, police said.

Santa Monica police and firefighters provided emergency medical care, but the man died at the scene, the statement said.

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

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