Man with 2 machetes allegedly lunged at police before they shot and killed him at California grocery store

A man was shot and killed by deputies at a grocery store in California after they say he charged them with two machetes.

The Los Angeles County sheriff's office said they responded to a call from an Albertson's grocery store in Lancaster at 20th Street West at about 9:30 a.m.

"When I walked in there was a guy arguing with the customers, and then I knew he had like a machete on the side," said an unidentified Albertsons employee to KABC-TV.

The sheriff's office said the man had the machetes in his backpack when they arrived, but he grew "agitated" and grabbed them out of his bag. They tried to subdue the man using non-lethal methods, including stun guns, before he allegedly charged at police with the machetes. They opened fire, and he was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

"I heard shots and then everybody started running to the back and we exited through the back," said the employee. "That's the worst experience I've ever had."

Investigators said they recovered two machetes at the scene.

No other injuries were reported, and police said that there were many people shopping at the store at the time. Three deputies were involved in the shooting, according to the sheriff's office.

Investigators said that the man had been at a Chevron gas station previously in the day and had attacked a store employee at about 3 a.m. That employee was cut in the hand and was transported to a hospital by a customer, according to KABC.

Police said that the gas station employee's injuries were not life-threatening.

The man who was killed was only described as a being between 35 and 40 years of age.

Here's a news report about the incident:

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!