California freeway closed after knife-wielding man shot dead

California Highway Patrol

SAN FRANSISCO: A major freeway in Southern California was closed after police fatally shot a knife-wielding man, authorities said. California Highway Patrol officers arrived about 1.30 a.m. on Friday after the Long Beach Police Department reported that a man was walking along the 710 freeway lanes in the area while holding a large knife, Xinhua news agency reported citing a police report as saying.

Police officers fired at the man who disregarded orders to drop the weapon and charged at them “in an aggressive manner with the knife”, according to the report. The unidentified man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries later.

The northbound 710 Freeway in the area had been closed in the wake of the shooting. Southbound traffic resumed later in the day. A police investigation into the incident was underway.