Man accused of being armed with knife during apparent mental health crisis shot, killed in Koreatown

LOS ANGELES - A man who was allegedly armed with a knife and confronted police responding to a mental health call on the outskirts of Koreatown was fatally shot Thursday.

The shooting occurred shortly after 11 a.m. at an apartment in the 400 block of South Gramercy Place, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, which initially said officers responded to a report of a "violent male."

Police subsequently said officers were called to meet Department of Mental Health workers at the apartment, and when they arrived, they were met by 40-year-old Yong Yang, who was armed with a knife.

The officers said they met with DMH personnel outside the residence, who indicated that they were called to the scene by Yang’s parents, due to his erratic and threatening behavior. The officers were also advised that Yang did not live at the location, had been diagnosed as bipolar with a schizoaffective disorder, and had attempted to assault one of the DMH employees when they attempted to speak with him. 

Based on their assessment, DMH determined Yang was a danger to others and advised the officers that they had already completed the necessary paperwork to place Yang on a 72-hour mental evaluation hold. 

Authorities were also informed that a Los Angeles County DMH rescue ambulance was enroute to their location to transport Yang to a nearby hospital.

According to officers, several attempts were made to communicate with Yang and encourage him to exit the residence, however, they said he refused. 

Yang, armed with a large knife, allegedly advanced toward the officers and one officer opened fire, striking Yang.

Yang was pronounced dead at the scene, and a knife was recovered. 

Relatives of the man were visibly distraught at the scene following the shooting.

No officers or bystanders were injured, police said.