Video shows L.A. sheriff’s deputies fatally shoot Jonathan Scott Foster who was armed with machetes at a Lancaster store.
Dramatic body camera video shows a deadly confrontation involving sheriff’s deputies and Jonathan Scott Foster wielding two machetes at a grocery store in Lancaster.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released dramatic body camera footage of a fatal encounter involving sheriff’s deputies and a man armed with two machetes at a grocery store in Lancaster.
In the video, deputies can be seen repeatedly instructing the man to drop the bladed weapons as he initially stands outside the store. Despite warnings, he retreats inside, prompting deputies to warn customers to take cover.
Efforts to subdue the man using foam projectiles and Tasers prove ineffective, as he is protected by a thick jacket and even manages to cut the Taser wires with one of the machetes.
The situation escalates when the man declares, “You’re starting to piss me off,” before charging at the deputies with a raised machete. The footage freezes at this critical moment, accompanied by the sound of multiple gunshots.
The individual involved, identified as Jonathan Scott Foster, 38, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The confrontation originated hours earlier when the same individual attacked a convenience store clerk with a machete, injuring her hand. Deputies responded to the scene but the suspect had already fled. They subsequently received reports of a man with a machete at the grocery store.
Upon their arrival, deputies encountered the man outside the store, initially armed with one machete and later revealing a second from his jacket.
Despite repeated attempts to persuade the man to surrender, he refused. After entering the store and discarding one blade, non-lethal means were utilized until the situation culminated in the fatal shooting.
The department has indicated that the incident will undergo standard reviews by the District Attorney’s office, as well as internal investigations, to ensure compliance with legal standards.