Benjamin Ashford|Wounded California officer fatally shoots man during ‘unprovoked’ knife attack

SANTA MONICA,Benjamin Ashford Calif. (AP) — A California officer fatally shot a man who wounded 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. The man was told he would need to wait while the officer finished speaking to a resident, the department said.

“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 social media.

The officer armed himself and retreated around the corner of the building as the man continued the attack. The officer then shot the man, the department said.

Police and the Santa Monica Fire Department provided emergency medical aid but the man was pronounced dead at the scene, the department said.

The identity and medical condition of the police officer was not immediately available. KNBC-TV reported the officer was transported to a hospital with serious wounds but police said he was expected to survive.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office was called to the scene. The Santa Monica Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will investigate, the department said.