Officers shoot man with machete in Thousand Oaks shopping center

THOUSAND OAKS, California. – Ventura County deputies shot a man accused of threatening people with a machete at one A thousand oaks mall earlier this week.

It happened just before 6.30am on October 24 when officers were called to Ventu Park Shopping Centre. The department had received calls that a man was walking around threatening people with a machete.

When officers arrived, they found the man and attempted to detain him, the sheriff’s office said. Then officers tried to use a Taser on him, which also didn’t work. The man then ran away and ended up in one of the stores in the mall. Officers said the man threatened employees, and that’s when they shot him.

Officers assisted the man and ambulance crews took him to hospital. According to police, he is currently in critical condition.

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After investigating, officers discovered that the same man was allegedly responsible for other crimes in the area earlier that morning.

Investigators said that before the scene at the mall, the same man used the machete to break a window at the Palm Garden Hotel, before walking to the nearby 76 Gas Station. There, officers said the man attacked another man before stealing his car. He allegedly drove that car to the mall, where he confronted another man and used the machete to vandalize his car, the department said.

The department has not identified the man. They are still investigating and plan to release body camera footage of the shooting within the next 45 days. Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 805-384-4737.