Bodycam video shows man trying to stab Santa Monica officer outside HQ

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - The Santa Monica Police Department released body camera footage Thursday that showed a wild scene outside police headquarters that ended with an officer stabbed and a suspect shot to death.

The incident happened back on Oct. 5, according to the SMPD. It started at a Target store at the intersection of 5th Street and Broadway. Surveillance footage showed a man walking into the store and asking an employee for help. After the employee got a knife set out from the back, the man could be seen tackling the employee to the ground, grabbing the knife set out of their hands, and walking out of the store.

That's when police said the man walked the few blocks from the Target, to the SMPD Headquarters on Olympic Drive. 

On a security camera, the man can be seen rushing to the door of the building, and ringing the buzzer to call someone out. An officer who was walking out of the building saw the man. The two briefly talked. The man could be seen holding his hand in his jacket. When the officer told the man the way he was standing made him nervous, the man asked, "you're nervous?" Then, he pulled out the knife and lunged at the officer.

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The two struggled, and the officer shot at the suspect at least three times. 

Other officers ran out of the building to help the first officer, who could be heard saying that he had been stabbed. 

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer was brought to the hospital and later released.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is investigating the officer's use of deadly force, and the SMPD is investigating the suspect and his potential motive.