LAPD officers shoot knife-wielding homeless man in the lobby at Little Tokyo hotel

An armed man was shot by police after allegedly threatening hotel staff with a knife early Sunday morning, police said.

Authorities say the suspect walked into the lobby of the Miyako Hotel on 1st Street in Little Tokyo around 3:30 a.m. armed with a knife.

“He was inside the lobby with a knife, and he refused commands given by the officers, at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred,” said LAPD Captain Elaine Morales.

The suspect was transported to a nearby hospital and is said to be in stable condition. Authorities said that he was not a guest at the hotel and was possibly a transient from the area.

Several hotel guests woke up to the commotion, and one man who lives across the street from the hotel told KTLA 5’s Annie Rose Ramos that police wouldn’t allow him back into his apartment due to the hostage situation that escalated into the officer-involved shooting.