Bodycam Video Shows Final Moments Before Man Armed With a Blade Is Fatally Shot by LAPD Officers

Newly released body camera footage shows the tense moments before Los Angeles police officers fatally shot a 44-year-old man who allegedly advanced toward them carrying a long pole fitted with a serrated blade.

The man, identified as Zimran Canas, died following the September 7, 2026, confrontation in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. The footage has drawn attention to the rapid escalation of the encounter and the officers’ repeated attempts to get him to put down the weapon.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers from the Hollenbeck Division responded at approximately 10 a.m. to a call about a man reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis and armed with a metal pipe near the 600 block of Gillette Street.

When officers arrived, a family member directed them toward Canas. Police said he then emerged through a front gate carrying a pole approximately eight feet long, with a serrated blade measuring about 12 inches attached to the end.

The body camera footage shows officers backing away as Canas approaches. They can be heard repeatedly ordering him to drop the weapon.

“Put that down, man,” one officer says in the recording. Another officer also urges him to put it down while calling for backup.

Despite the repeated commands, Canas continues moving toward the officers. The footage then shows him advancing more quickly before gunshots ring out and he falls to the ground.

Officers immediately moved to take Canas into custody and provide medical assistance. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics subsequently transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police recovered the bladed pole and a metal pipe at the scene. Authorities said no officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.

The officers involved were identified by the LAPD as Juan Laguna and Brandon Barnett. The department’s Force Investigation Division is investigating the shooting, and officials have cautioned that the findings remain preliminary while investigators review evidence and interview witnesses.

The incident has renewed attention on the dangers officers can face when responding to calls involving weapons and reported mental health crises. It also raises broader questions about how such encounters unfold and whether different interventions might prevent fatal outcomes.

For now, the released footage provides a view of the final confrontation, but the full circumstances surrounding the shooting remain subject to investigation.

Source:  NYPOST